September 2007


Management Advisory Team Met in Boise, September 19 and 20.

The FPA Management Advisory Team (MAT) gathered in Boise for their first meeting with FPA to meet the FPA team, Fire Directors, and representatives of the EOG. The two day meeting covered the A to Z about FPA, which included a historical brief, overview of the FPA System, and in-depth detailed presentations on each model component. The FPA Business Leads are working closely with the MAT to jointly identify opportunities to inform line officers and fire managers of the “new” FPA processes and timeline.

MAT members are excited to contribute their line officer expertise to the FPA process. Regular meetings and conference calls are scheduled to discuss issues, seek solutions, and provide advice to the FPA Team. The MAT's feedback and engagement will be invaluable to the FPA Team and the wildland fire management agencies and their partners. The most recent list of the MAT membership and their contact information, click here.

 

Current Topics:

MAT highlights
Spatial Data Survey
 New FPA Whitepapers and      Guidance
FPA Desk Guide
What's Next?

For more information visit http://fpa.nifc.gov
or call Venetia Gempler
208-947-3786

Fire Program Analysis

Fire Program Analysis (FPA) system is a common interagency decision support tool for wildland fire planning and budgeting.
This tool will enable wildland fire managers in the five federal land management agencies to plan jointly.

The Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) is a cooperative interagency organization dedicated to achieving consistent implementation of the goals, actions, and policies in the National Fire Plan and the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy. The Council provides leadership and oversight to ensure policy coordination, accountability, and effective implementation of the National Fire Plan and the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy.


The FPA System:

- will be designed to encourage state, local, and tribal agency participation.

- incorporates geospatial data which provide the means to map levels of wildland fire risk on lands across the country.

- generates outcomes from fire planning units that
provide information to the national budget planning process.

- will provide a way for land managers to compare
trade-offs between wildland fire program components.

- is a tool to ensure wildland fire management actions help meet performance measures outlined in the 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy.


Spatial Data Survey Response Summary

We've heard from 112 FPUs (81% of FPUs) regarding the status of their spatial data. Thank you for your overwhelming response!

We've gained insight from the survey that will help the FPA Implementation Coordination Group (ICG) be more effective in deploying FPA. Some of the things we learned:

  • The majority of the FPUs will use the FPU boundaries from FPA phase one that are agreed upon by all FPU partners.
  • The majority of the FPUs have Fire Management Unit (FMU) boundaries from FPA phase one that are agreed upon by all FPU partners.
  • Only a small percent of the FPUs have wall to wall local fuel model data that were created using the LANDFIRE calibration process.
  • The majority of existing fuel model data for FPUs are in Anderson 13 fuel model system.

In addition, written comments have alerted the FPA Project that staff turnover has led to several FPUs having lost the expertise gained through the FPA-PM process.

 

New FPA Whitepapers and Guidance

The FPA online Library has been updated with the FPU Boundary Change Guidance. The FPA team will post additional guidance and white papers as soon as they are finalized. These include: Fire Workload Area (FWA) Creation Guidance and Average Acre Cost Calculation and Use.

 

FPA Desk Guide is available on the Web!

The Management Advisory Team suggested that the FPA Desk Guide, developed for them, be more widely available. It is a basic reference for all aspects of FPA. Since FPA will be implemented nationwide the information the guide contains will be useful orientation material to others new to FPA.

 

What's Next?

While the FPA team is diligently working on the new system everyone on the team understands the importance of sharing the concepts, component development, and time lines with the people who will be required to run the system, you!

Do you have any upcoming meetings that you would like FPA participation? Please send us your requests and meeting dates. There are several ways you can contact us:

Call either FPA Business Lead at:

  • Bonnie Wood, USFS Business Lead at 208-947-3774
  • Jamie Fojtik, DOI Business Lead at 208-947-3756
  • Send us an email
  • Contact your agency representative
  • or call Venetia Gempler at 208-947-3786.