Regional Action Plans for Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Released

Date:  April 23, 2013

Regional Action Plans: Northeast, Southeast, West

A milestone in true collaboration for wildland fire management – one in which the whole is greater than the mere sum of individual parts – was achieved with the recent release of Regional Action Plans for wildland fire management.

Regional Action Plans, recently accepted by the Wildland Fire Executive Committee[i] representing Cohesive Strategy regions of the Northeast, Southeast and West are a major milestone in the  continual commitment to the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, focused on:  (1) Restoring and Maintaining Resilient Landscapes (2) Creating Fire Adapted Communities and (3) Responding to Wildfire.

The Plans detail a portfolio of actions, aligned with broader Cohesive Strategy goals, to be implemented in the next five years; identifies planned activities that address gaps and expand existing efforts; and suggests government and non-government leads and collaborative partners for various actions.  The Regional Action Plans provide a blueprint for how we will build the social, economic, and ecological foundation for the management of land and wildfire together.

As the actions in the Regional Plans are implemented, there will be long-lasting impacts:

• Community-led efforts to mitigate wildfire threat and reduce impacts will be supported;
• Comparative Science-Based Risk Analysis will increase depth and transparency of policy choices, related to major issues facing land and fire management, will be shared among decision makers including elected members of Congress, Governors, Homeland Security Advisors, County Commissioners, Fire Chiefs, Mayors, and local partners;
• Training for Federal, state, tribal, and local emergency responders for wildfire prevention and suppression;
• There will be platforms throughout the regions to share learning and innovations across the three goals of the Cohesive Strategy; and
• Local partners, including government officials and community leaders, will better understand the threat of wildfire and how they can work together to prevent it and reduce the impacts on our communities.

Commitments, such as the Regional Action Plans, achieved through Cohesive Strategy efforts, have created an environment focused toward a common vision of collaborative wildland fire management.  By embracing a collaborative approach, the efforts of stakeholders have built on existing relationships and helped forge new collaborative alliances for the future to meet today’s wildland fire challenges.

For more information:  www.forestsandrangelands.gov

Contacts:

Northeast: Larry Mastic 575.405.5024

Southeast: Mike Zupko  770.267.9630

West: Ann Walker  720.897.4539 or Tony Harwood  406.676.3755

[i] The Wildland Fire Executive Council (WFEC) accepts the regional action plans and agrees that the plans can be released publicly.  WFEC tasks the Cohesive Strategy Sub-Committee (CSSC) to use the regional action plans to inform the development of the national action plan.  The National Risk Analysis Report and National Action Plan will become WFEC recommendations to the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) and ultimately Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture.  The regional action plans reflect the regional perspective that is important in the development of that national-level recommendation.  Implementation of actions identified in Regional Action Plans is the responsibility of the sponsoring organizations at the discretion of those organizations.

 *This information was provided by members of the Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy, Southern Regional Strategy Committee