Craters of the Moon National Monument
XII. Public Safety
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XII. Public Safety |
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The 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy mandates that "Public and firefighter is the first priority in every fire management activity."
Wildland fires can present a hazard to firefighters and to the public visiting the monument. The safety of all people in the area is the primary concern of the Incident Commander. In most cases, the small fires encountered within the monument make this a fairly simple concern.
B. Procedures for Mitigating Safety Issues
Usually the entire perimeter of the fire is easily monitored and there is little likelihood it will spread far. In these cases, the concern will be to keep the public out of the immediate fire area, far enough away that they will not hinder the suppression activities. Under no circumstance will anyone be permitted near a fire without the appropriate training and personal protective equipment.
In the case of a wildland fire that has potential for rapid spread, there will be a possibility that park visitors will be in areas of danger. Visitors will be informed at the entrance station and the visitor center regarding the fire and the area where caution should be exercised. Efforts will be made to inform backcountry hikers and campers of fire activity that may threaten them and what measures to take to stay safe.
In extreme situations where the rate of spread constitutes an immediate threat, all efforts should be made to alert backcountry hikers and campers of the danger. Signs will be placed at each trailhead warning hikers and backcountry users when wildland fires are being managed for resource benefits. Signs warning of possible smoke on the road will be placed on the park's roads if smoke produced during wildland fires create a safety concern. Roads may be closed or ranger escorted convoys established if visibility on Highway 93 or park roads is significantly impaired. Any closures or actions related to Highway 93 must be approved and implemented by the Idaho Department of Transportation and/or State Police.
Temporary closure of the monument or a portion may be needed when fire behavior has potential to endanger visitor and employee safety. When a fire threatens to escape from the park or has the potential to do so, adjacent authorities will be given as much advance notice as possible in order to take appropriate action.
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XIII. Public Information and Education |
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A. Public Fire Information; Capabilities and Needs
As with all park activities, the presence of an informed public can go far in providing support for the fire management program at Craters of the Moon National Monument and fostering its goals. A concerted effort will be made to make the public aware of fire concerns at the monument including fire prevention messages, fire danger indices when they are high or extreme and the presence of on-going fires. Fire management messages will be introduced into interpretive programs where appropriate. The monument will participate in fire prevention activities in the community. Park visitors will be made aware of regulations regarding the use of fire within the monument. High fire danger notices will be posted in the campground, at the visitor center and at the monument entrances when needed. The local media will be informed of fire prevention concerns through news releases. Media access to fire scenes will be facilitated when it is safe to do so. When interest is warranted, a staff member will be designated as the contact person for all information requests.
B. Step-up Plan Information Actions
Refer to Step-Up Plan in Section IV, C, 2.d).
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XIV. Protection Of Sensitive Resources |
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1. Craters of the Moon National Monument lacks a cultural resource base map indicating the location of archeological and historic sites. The availability of such a map is invaluable is preventing damage to such sites from suppression operations. A GIS compatible map of these resources should be developed.
2. Whenever feasible any areas where ground disturbance activities are planned will be assessed by a cultural resource specialist prior to such action being initiated.
B. Protection of Sensitive Natural Resources
There are no federally listed endangered species known to occur in the park. There are several species of special concern within the monument. A detailed discussion of these is the attached Environmental Assessment (Appendix C).
An inventory of where these species occur in the park would be ideal for management purposes. Species locations and or habitat requirements would be helpful when planning fire activities. Some species may benefit from fire and others may not. For more information reference the environmental assessment of the Fire Management Plan.
All paleontological remains will be protected and preserved during all fire activities and all newly discovered sites will be reported to park managers.
C. Modern Infrastructure and Developments
Urban-interface mitigation techniques should be applied to prevent or reduce negative impacts to modern developments within the monument's boundaries.
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XV. Air Quality/Smoke Management |
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The Craters of the Moon Wilderness Area is a mandatory Class I air-shed under the Federal Clean Air (CAA). Sections 160-169 of the Act establish a program to Prevent Significant Deterioration (PSD) of air quality in "clean air areas" of the country (i.e., attainment areas), which include Class I areas. Among the purposes of the PSD program are "to preserve, protect and enhance air quality in national parks, monuments, national seashores, and other areas of special national or regional natural, recreational, scenic or historic value." Congress provided additional protection for Class I areas in Section 169A of the Clean Air Act, which specifies a national goal of "remedying any existing and preventing any future manmade visibility impairment" in these areas.
The Federal Government has ceded responsibility and authority to establish air quality standards and regulations to the States. All NPS units are required to comply with the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) both inside and outside unit boundaries, and protect visibility in Congressionally-mandated Class I unit areas.NPS fire management activities which result in the discharge of air pollutants (e.g., smoke, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants from fires) are subject to, and must comply with, all applicable Federal, state, interstate, and local air pollution control requirements, as specified by Section 118 of the Clean Air Act, as amended (42 USC 7418). These requirements are the same substantive, procedural, and administrative requirements that apply to a private person or other non-governmental entity.
It was not a primary intent of the Clean Air Act to manage the impacts of natural sources of impairment. Fire plays a principle, and in some cases a dominant role in maintaining the integrity of NPS unit resources. The inevitable smoke must be accepted as a by-product of management that serves to protect the functioning of fire in these ecosystems. Since fires are not point sources, but rather tend to be spatially distributed singular events; temporary impacts to visibility and visitor enjoyment must be recognized, expected, and managed. This may include temporary closures or warnings as acceptable during the progress of beneficial, ecologically essential fires. Interpretive programs should include clear and reasonable explanations for such necessary practices.
As this plan was prepared a number of air quality monitoring programs have been in place at CRMO. Those that relate to wildland fire emissions include, particulates (PM10 and PM 2.5), and ozone. Particulate samplers (part of the IMPROVE Network) do not provide "real-time" output of particulate levels but can be referenced post-fire to determine levels reached during particular fire events. The ozone monitor can provide "real-time" information on ozone concentrations (preliminary data only).
B. Coordination with the State
CRMO will coordinate on smoke management issues with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and conform with the requirements of the South Idaho Cooperative Smoke Management Plan. The South Idaho Cooperative Smoke Management Plan is currently a voluntary program which emphasizes spring and fall prescribed burning. The program is being expanded to include smoke emissions from wildland fire use. The NPS will stay informed on the program's development comply with its recommended actions.
C. Air Quality Management Objectives
When wildland fires are managed as Wildland Use Fires the following objectives will apply;
If these objectives are not met (or are predicted to be exceeded) a wildland use fire will no longer meet prescription and appropriate management response will be initiated to achieve the objectives. These responses may vary but can include full suppression actions.
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XVI. Fire Critiques and Annual Plan Reviews |
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All fire management plans are subject to informal review annually with formal review every five years.
All fires occurring within the monument will receive at a minimum a review by those involved to evaluate such topics as: the initial response, "hotline" (on-going fire incident) review, control methods used, safety concerns, and the need for new and replacement equipment. This review will be conducted by one of the following: the Incident Commander, the Fire Management Officer, or the official who has designated fire program responsibilities. The purpose of this review is to recognize and document actions that were successful and identify and rectify actions that were unsafe or ineffective.
The superintendent will conduct closeout meetings with Incident Management Teams (IMT) to ensure a successful transition of the incident back to the Monument and to identify and evaluate incomplete fire business. Refer to Chapter 13, Exhibit 1 of RM-18 for a sample IMT closeout.
A regional or national level fire review may be conducted if one of the following occurs:
Refer to Chapter 13, Exhibits 2 & 3 of RM-18.
All entrapments and fire shelter deployments will be reported and investigated as soon as possible after the deployment incident. Refer to Chapter 13, Exhibit 4 & 5 of RM-18 for review directions and written outline format.
An informal fire management program review will be conducted annually to evaluate current procedures and identify any needed changes to the Monument FMP. A formal fire management review will be conducted every five years. The Monument Superintendent must approve significant changes to the body of this plan. The only exceptions to this procedure will include: grammatical corrections, minor procedural changes, deletions, corrections, and additions to the appendices. Copies of all changes will be promptly forwarded to the Fire Management Program Center. Changes requiring the approval and concurrence will be submitted with a new cover sheet for signature and dates, which will replace the original cover sheet upon receipt by the Superintendent.
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XVII. Consultation and Coordination |
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Bureau of Land Management, Shoshone and Idaho Falls Field Offices
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Butte and Blaine County Commissioners
U.S. Forest Service, Challis/Salmon National Forests
Les Broadie
John Apel, Chief of Resources Management, Craters of the Moon National Monument, National Park Service, Arco ID
Rick Smedley, Fire Planner, Columbia Cascades Support Office, Pacific West Region, National Park Service, Portland OR
Ken Till, Fire Management Officer, Columbia Cascades Support Office, Pacific West Region, National Park Service, Seattle WA
Tom Nichols, Fire Management Officer, Pacific West Region, National Park Service, San Francisco CA
Portions of this plan, particularly those related to vegetation and fire behavior estimations were prepared by Mack Barrington, Stephen Bunting, and Gerald Wright from the Cooperative Park Studies Unit (now the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, US Geologic Survey, Biological Resources Division), University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.