Fire Program Analysis Application

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240

May 12, 2008

In Reply Refer To:
9211 (FA 400) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 05/20/2008
Information Bulletin No. 2008-080

To: All WO and Field Office Officials

From: Director

Subject: Fire Program Analysis Application

The Fire Program Analysis (FPA) application is scheduled for a staged release on June 30, 2008. As we work with our federal partners to implement FPA, we recognize this will be a learning year and that the 2008 release is a platform from which to grow. Your feedback will continue to be important and used to improve the system and its future application.

This release will be used by fire planners at the local and national levels to provide information to support development of the fire program budget for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior.

Over the past few years, many of you have been involved in various roles supporting development efforts leading to this release. For FPA to be successful, it is crucial that this involvement continues and that line officers at all levels become involved and provide the leadership and support needed to produce a quality analysis. Our specific expectations include:

Between July and mid-December, Fire Planning Units (FPUs) will collaboratively develop expenditure alternatives for preparedness and hazardous fuels. Strengths of individual FPU partners will be leveraged to ensure completion of the analysis by all partners. Guidance for developing the alternatives will be issued with the June release. The FPA staff will be available to answer questions relative to the guidance and throughout the analysis process.
Between mid-December and February 15, 2009, line officers will ensure technical and programmatic reviews for FPU analysis are completed. These reviews will be carried out with line officer involvement and leadership. Guidance for the reviews will be issued with the June release.

Completed FPU analyses will be submitted by February 15, 2009, for inclusion in the national analysis which will occur from mid-February through March 2009. Outputs from the national analysis will be used to enhance the FPA application in future releases and support the formulation of the Fiscal_Year 2011 fire program budget.

Following the June release, FPUs will continue to receive information and instructions to aid in their analysis. These communications will include guidance for preparing and submitting data, using the application and addressing technical issues that may arise. It will be important for line officers and program managers to be aware of the status of FPU analyses and the timeline and to ensure that partners are working collaboratively to meet our collective expectations.

The FPA website at http://www.fpa.nifc.gov/ is an excellent source of information. To have information sent directly to your inbox, subscribe to the project’s “list service” at: http://www.fpa.nifc.gov/Listserv/Listserv.html.

Additional questions should be directed to Ted Milesnick, at 208.387.5198 or ted_milesnick@blm.gov.

Signed by: Authenticated by:
Henri R. Bisson Robert M. Williams
Deputy Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560

1 Attachment
1 - FPA Key Messages for System Rollout (1 p)