UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov/

August 3, 2006

In Reply Refer To:
9211 (FA-600) I

EMS TRANSMISSION 08/09/2006
Information Bulletin No. 2006-111

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Business Practices and Wildland Fire has requested that the Department of the Interior fire management agencies provide feedback from the recently completed Fire Program Analysis (FPA) process (see attached memorandum). The Forest Service has requested the same information from within their organization. In response to this memorandum, you should collaborate with your Fire Planning Unit (FPU) partners to:

1. Provide feedback and observations as to the overall effectiveness of the initial FPA process as an interagency fire planning and budgeting tool;
2. Provide specific examples and observations on the initial response model’s performance that can be used to assess its strengths and weaknesses; and
3. Identify and briefly explain specific program efficiencies identified through the FPA process using the attached FPU Efficiencies Form.

The feedback in response to items one and two above should be identified by FPU as appropriate. The FPU Efficiencies Form is to be completed by FPU and identical copies should be submitted to the respective agencies. BLM units should submit their forms to the State Director through the State Fire Management Officer. The State Office may provide a statewide summary and narrative of the overall effectiveness of the initial FPA process.

Identifying potential efficiencies within each FPU should be a coordinated effort among all FPU interagency partners so that submissions to each bureau will reflect the same approach and will continue collaborative efforts within each FPU. In compiling this submission, FPA participating units should consider potential program efficiencies identified through the formation of FPU interagency partnerships, the process of analysis, as well as changes suggested as outputs from the FPA-PM model. This information should relate to the overall process, not just the 2008 FPA-PM analysis results.

Evaluations of the FPA process and model performance should be grouped into categories where possible (e.g. business process, analysis, project management). It is important that FPUs provide a fair and balanced accounting of the FPA experience to date.

This submission will satisfy the Departmental requirements for establishing initial FPA Transition Plans as outlined in the memorandum from Assistant Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett, dated March 22, 2005.

The requested information should be consolidated at the State level and submitted electronically by August 25, 2006 to Ted Milesnick, Division of Fire Planning and Fuels Management, Office of Fire and Aviation. We recognize that it is the middle of an active fire season, but this information is needed to inform our budget justification in September. Please respond to the best of your ability in addressing this request.

Additional information in the form of a question and answer sheet can be found on the FPA web site under “Guidance, Memos & Reports” at http://www.fpa.nifc.gov/Library/Memos/index.html.

Questions should be directed to Ted Milesnick, FPA Steering Committee Representative at 208-387-5198, or Joe-Riley (J.R.) Epps, Implementation Coordination Group at 208-947-3762.

1 Attachments

1 - Memorandum from Deputy Assistant Secretary, Business Management and Wildland Fire (3 pp)
2 - FPU Efficiencies Form (1 p)