Cultural Resources Management and Fire: Useful Resources

Policy and Guidance for the Management of Wildland Fire

1. United States Department of the Interior, Departmental Manual
The Departmental Manual incorporates the permanent policy documents approved by the Secretary or the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget. These include organization descriptions; delegations of authority; and policies, procedures, and standards for administrative, legal, legislative, informational and program activities of the Department. Departmental Manual Part 620, Chapters 1 through 3 (620 DM 1-3), provides Departmental policy and guidance regarding wildland fire suppression and emergency stabilization and rehabilitation on bureau lands and Indian trust lands following wildland fire.

2. The National Park Service Management Policies, August 31, 2006
The Management Policies is the basic Service-wide policy document of the NPS. It is the highest of three levels of guidance documents in the NPS Directives System. Many of the public laws and other guidance affecting facets of NPS administration and management are cited for reference purposes throughout these Management Policies. Other laws, regulations, and policies related to the administration of Federal programs, although not cited, may also apply.

3. Director’s Order 18 and Reference Manual 18, Wildland Fire Management
Director's Order 18 states the basic principles and strategic guidelines governing the management of wildland fire by the NPS. Reference Manual 18 (RM-18), is issued by the Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection, and contains background information, standardized definitions, agency requirements, standards, and procedures for implementing Director’s Order #18.

4. Review and Update of the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy
The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, together with Tribal governments, States, and other jurisdictions, are responsible for the protection and management of natural resources on lands they administer. Because wildland fire respects no boundaries, uniform Federal policies and programs are essential. The Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy is focused on internal Federal agency strategic direction for a broad range of fire management related activities.

5. Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy
This Guidance provides for consistent implementation of the Federal Fire Policy, as directed by the Wildland Fire Leadership Council.

6. Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations
The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations, states, references, or supplements policy for Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service fire and fire aviation program management. Original source policy is stated or referenced throughout this handbook.

7. National Interagency Mobilization Guide
The National Interagency Mobilization Guide identifies standard procedures which guide the operations of multi-agency logistical support activity throughout the coordination emergency response for wildland fire. This Guide is intended to facilitate interagency dispatch coordination, ensuring the timeliest and cost effective incident support services available are provided.

8. Interagency Incident Business Management Handbook
This handbook was developed under the auspices of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). The NWCG was formed March 18, 1976, by cooperative agreement between the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. This handbook was developed to assist participating agencies of the NWCG to constructively work together to provide effective execution of each agency's incident management program by establishing procedures for:
• Uniform application of regulations on the use of human resources, including classification, payroll, commissary, injury compensation, and travel.
• Acquisition of necessary equipment and supplies from appropriate sources in accordance with applicable procurement regulations.
• Managing and tracking government property.
• Financial coordination with the protection agency and maintenance of finance, property, procurement, and personnel records and forms.
• Use and coordination of incident business management functions as they relate to sharing of resources among Federal, state, and local agencies.
• Investigation and reporting of accidents.
• Investigating, documenting, and reporting claims.
• Documenting costs and implementing cost-effective criteria for managing incident resources.
• Non-fire incidents administrative processes.

9. Interagency Prescribed Fire Planning and Implementation Procedures Reference Guide
The Interagency Prescribed Fire Planning and Implementation Procedures Guide (2008 Guide) provides standardized procedures, specifically associated with the planning and implementation of prescribed fire. These procedures meet all policy requirements described in the 2003 Interagency Strategy for the Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy.

10. Interagency Fire Program Management Qualifications Standards and Guide
The Interagency Fire Program Management Qualifications Standards establishes minimum qualifications for fire managers and agency administrators who are required to make fire management decisions.

11. Interagency Agreement for Wildland Fire Management among the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior; and Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture (NPS Agreement No. G9560160054).
Provides a basis of cooperation among the signatory agencies on all aspects of wildland fire management, and in all-hazard support functions as requested and authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

12. The Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response and Interagency Burned Area Rehabilitation Guidebooks
The Guidebooks provide general operational guidance for post-fire emergency stabilization and rehabilitation activities. In conjunction with Departmental and agency policy, both are designed to provide agency administrators and emergency stabilization specialists with sufficient information to understand post-fire policy, standards, and procedures; assess wildfire damage and develop a cost effective plan or report and; assess and report accomplishments.

The guidebooks consolidate and provide an interagency interpretation of emergency stabilization and rehabilitation policies, procedures, objectives, and standards where there is Departmental and agency agreement. Individual agency policy and procedure manual guidance can be more but not less restrictive than that presented in these Guidebooks.

13. Programmatic Agreement Among the National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior), The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers for Compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (2008)

Training about the nationwide programmatic agreement is available on the Common Learning Portal at https://mylearning.nps.gov/xapi-courses/getting-started-with-section-106/.

14. NPS Fire Program Wildland Fire Planning and Policy

15. NPS Wildland Fire Management Strategic Plan

16. Wildland Fire Incident Management Field Guide (PMS 210, NFES #002943)(2014)

17. Resource Advisor’s Guide (August 2017)

18. National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
http://www.nifc.gov/

19. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics Guidelines

Policy and Guidance for Management of Structural Fires

20. NPS Resource Manual 58 – Structural Fire Management (2015)

21. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) safety codes 909 (Code for the Protection of Cultural Properties—Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship) and 914 (Code for Fire Protection of Historic Structures)

22. NPS Museum Handbook, MH-I, Chapter 9. Fire Protection
Appendix F: NPS Museum Collections Management Checklists, and
Appendix G: Protection of NPS Museum Collections

23. NPS Conserve O Gram Number 2/23, Fire Safety 101: A Fire Safety Self-Inspection Checklist (September 2005)

24. Culture Shock: Fire Protection for Historic and Cultural Property (1995)
Posted by the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology

25. Development of a Prototypical Historic Fire Risk Index to Evaluate Fire Safety in Historic Buildings (1998)
Posted by the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology