In late June 2008 lightning started four fires in the Rincon Mountain range. The fires were on land managed by the Coronado National Forest Santa Catalina District and Saguaro National Park. These fires were seamlessly managed under shared fire management operations provided through an interagency agreement which has been in place for several years.
All four of the fires ignited under the jurisdiction of an interagency fire management officer who is funded by the National Park Service but divides her time equally between agencies. Local personnel from both agencies provided initial and long-term support for the fires. The majority of local fire management and suppression positions are on the forest, while most of the administrative and fire ecology positions are on the park. Both agencies are also represented on a shared fire crew.
On June 21 the Cumaro and Distillery fires were ignited by lightning in the Coronado National Forest. Initial suppression actions were focused on the Cumaro Fire because it was threatening a major Tucson powerline and private property. As the Cumaro Fire was reaching containment, the Distillery Fire became more active, making runs toward the park’s boundary.
The forest and the park worked closely together in the development of suppression strategies and completion of a Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA). The Type 2 Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team (IMT) was brought in to manage the fires beginning June 24. Agency administrators and resource managers for both agencies remained actively involved in oversight of the incidents. Both agencies also assigned their local lead public information officers to the incident to work seamlessly with the team while serving as united spokespersons for the local units.
The IMT was also delegated initial attack responsibilities for other forest lands and all of the park’s Rincon Mountain District, including suppression of the June 26 Castro Fire and management of the June 27 Chimenea Wildland Fire Use, both within park boundaries. The team transitioned management of the fires back to the local units on June 30th.
Throughout the course of these incidents, no significant or lost-time injuries occurred. This was accomplished by strict adherence to fire suppression standards, a constant and proactive application of risk management processes, continuous agency and team focus on safety, utilization of safety officers, completion of incident action plans, and thorough daily briefings.
Contact: Kristy Lund, Fire Management Officer
Phone: (520) 733-5130
*This story supports the National Fire Plan |
