Fire Management Requirements

By what standards/guidelines should we expect “burners” to operate by?

TNC has their own standards.  The federal agencies (NPS/USFWS/USFS) have their standards. Other states have standards.  Some are consistent with the feds, others are not.  Most have a foundation built upon NWCG standards, and we want to continue to build upon this foundation.

Because of re-organization, DNR may be poised for standardization.  But we all need to be able to reach some point of commonality.

The challenge may be funding. – We need to find the “carrot” that may inspire “change”.

How do we make this a priority?

Need to agree as a group on standards, then identify funding and strategy.

Need to be able to phase in standardization.

Will need to identify advantages of standards and why they are necessary.  These need to then be taken to a variety of Agency Directors to aid in “making this a priority”.

We can’t draw money out of the land management pot, as it will draw everything else down.  This needs to come from a separate pot of $.

Iowa is at a different level of Wildland Fire Management and Suppression than the majority of the other area states is because:

Lack of USFS lands, and other federal lands that the state is responsible for management of.  History mostly.  Staffing, expectations and associated funding have been minimal.

This group recommends that the state consider fire management policy and standardization of Equipment, Training and Planning that is compatible between all the agencies involved in fire management of natural resources in the state.

Groups that need to be involved in the development of these standards are believed to be:

DNR Forestry

DNR Wildlife

County Conservation Boards

DOT

TNC

USFWS

NPS

NRCS

SWCD

RC&D

Rural Fire Departments

Iowa Emergency Management Division