Fire Preparedness/Suppression Support Expectations

EMAIL TRANSMISSION – 3/9/17
Information Bulletin No. MT-2017-013

To: All Montana/Dakotas Employees

From: State Director

Subject: Fire Preparedness/Suppression Support Expectations

Here in the Montana/Dakotas Bureau of Land Management, helping and providing support to one another is what we do. As the Acting State Director, my expectation is that we will continue to work together and assist each other where we can. Fire and Aviation operations are a big part of what we do in the BLM.

Some of you have been in the BLM long enough to recall when many position descriptions included a requirement to support firefighting efforts. That changed when we began to hire dedicated firefighters. What didn’t change was the need for fire support from people other than firefighters. With fewer employees and greater demands on our time, that needed support has been on the decline.

Managers may be hesitant to let employees help with fire because of the potential impacts on priority and day-to-day work assignments. Employees don’t ask to take fire assignments for the same reasons, or they aren’t sure how they could help, or don’t want to be away from home for long periods.

You don’t need to swing a pulaski or drag a hose to make a big difference. We often need help in a local dispatch center or fire cache, driving supplies out to a local fire location, making maps, or recording time. For those interested in assignments away from home, there is always great demand for people with a variety of skills supporting Incident Management Teams assigned to large fires.

I am asking that employees start to think now about how they might be able to assist the fire program. Waiting for that late summer email from the Secretary of the Interior asking for help during a big fire season is too late. Training is beginning to occur for many fire positons. Employees who are willing to help need to get with their respective supervisors to have that discussion now about realistic expectations, workload priorities and concerns, and availability for assignments. Then talk to your Fire Management Officer about the steps you need to take to get involved.  

Managers need to be sure we have employees ready to help out during the fire season. Building depth locally can help with sharing workloads on teams and with local assistance. We do not want to have to bring people in from thousands of miles away for duties our employees could be doing when we have fires on our valuable lands.

Now is the time to get with the fire staff and find out how we can all continue to work together. Interested employees need to visit wth their supervisors and and respective Fire Management Officers.

Supervisor and employee support of our fire program, in balance with our other work commitments, is critical to carrying out the BLM’s mission, and is a great way to support your peers, your community, your state, and your nation.

Signed by:                                                                                      Authenticated by:
Richard M. Hotaling                                                                      Janie Fox
for Jon K. Raby                                                                             Secretary (MT930)
Acting State Director

1 Attachment
     1-Fire Management Officers Contact Information (1 p)