Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument V. Goals and Objectives

Goal: Make firefighter and public safety the highest priority of every fire management activity.

Objective: Ensure all wildland fire operations sustain no injuries to members of the public or firefighters.

Strategies:

• All personnel involved in fire management operations will receive a safety briefing describing known hazards and mitigating actions, current fire season conditions and current and predicted fire weather and behavior.
• Fire management operations will be carried out by qualified individuals that promote the safe and skillful application of fire management strategies and techniques.
• Monument neighbors, monument visitors and the local residents will be notified of all planned and unplanned fire management activities that have the potential to impact them.
• All or portions of the Monument will be closed to the public when fire activity poses a threat to human safety (at the discretion of the Superintendent).

Goal: Manage wildland fires in concert with federal, state and local air quality regulations.

Objective: Ensure air quality thresholds for National Ambient Air Quality Standards are not exceeded in adjacent air-sheds (any area outside of the monument) due to fire use activities.

Strategies:

• Impacts to air quality will be considered as a part of the go/no go decision in the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan, Stage I, and periodic assessment throughout the duration of any wildland fire.
• Air quality impacts will be addressed as a part of the alternative development and selection in the Wildland Fire Situation Analysis.
• Smoke impact mitigation measures will be developed implemented for all wildland fire actions.

Goal: Suppress all wildfires (an unwanted wildland fire) to protect the public, check fire spread onto private property and protect the natural, cultural and historic resources of the monument.

Objective: Contain 95% of unwanted wildfires at less than 10 acres in size.

Strategies:

• Prioritize suppression actions on fires or portions of fires that threaten to damage public or private property.
• Ensure sufficient monument staff are trained in wildland fire operations.
• Ensure monument engine is in a state of readiness during fire season.
• Ensure monument staff responsible for fire operations understand fire policy.
• Ensure mutual aid agreements are current and operational.

Goal: Manage wildland fires so that Monument resources (natural, cultural, and improvements) are protected from damage by suppression actions and fire.

Objective: Manage suppression actions so that rehabilitation costs are less than 10% of suppression costs.

Strategies:

• Ensure wildland fire suppression operations employ Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST).
• Ensure fire operations personnel are briefed on Monument resources and potential damage from fire and suppression actions.
• Ensure a resource advisor is assigned to wildland fires within the monument.

Goal: Facilitate reciprocal fire management activities through the development and maintenance of cooperative agreements and working relationships with pertinent fire management entities.

Objective: Annually review and modify as necessary agreements with the four agencies listed below.

Strategies:

Coordinate with the following entities:

• BLM East Idaho and South Central Idaho Fire Dispatch
• Arco, Idaho Rural Fire Protection District

Goal: Use wildland fire where and when appropriate as a tool to meet resource management objectives within the Monument. Maintain or restore, where possible, the primary natural resources of the Monument, and those ecological conditions that would prevail were it not for the advent of modern civilization.

Objective: Have (on CRMO staff) or be able to obtain sufficient qualified personnel to manage at least 75% of qualified wildland fires for resource benefits.

Strategies:

• Restore fire as an ecological process in the fire use management unit.
• Monitor the effects of fire on the ecosystem.
• Cooperatively manage wildland fires across the mutual boundary with the Upper Snake River District, BLM, Great Rift Wilderness Study Area, when and where possible.
• Maintain a qualified Prescribed Fire Behavior Specialist (RXFS) and Prescribed Fire Behavior Monitor on CRMO staff.
• Ensure that a Prescribed Fire Behavior Analyst (RXFA) is available to respond within 12 hours of a fire.

Goal: Reduce wildland fire hazard around developed areas and adjacent to cultural and historic sites.

Objective: Ensure fire does not destroy any administrative structure, nor incur costly damage (rehabilitation costs greater than $10,000) to any cultural or historic site.

Strategies:

• Apply mechanical hazard fuel reduction around suppression zones to reduce fire intensity and severity to lesser levels.
• Apply mechanical hazard fuel reduction around those cultural and historic sites vulnerable to fire damage.