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Statement of Richard A. Wilson 



§iate of (California 



THE RESOURCES AGENCY 



SACRAMENTO 



RICHARD A. WILSON. DIRECTOR 

 OCPABTMCNT Ct POHESTSY ft FIRE PROTECTICf* 



Building Cooperative State-Federal Solutions to California's Wildland Fire Challenges 



Testimony to: 



Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands 

 House Committee on Resources 



Presented by: 



Richard A. Wilson 



Director 



California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 



September 12, 1996 



California's wildland fire agencies have long recognized that shared decision making is a key way 

 of getting more cost/effective wildfire protection. Over four decades of mutual aid shared 

 decision making in overlapping initial attack areas have resulted in creating new concepts such as 

 direct protection areas, the Incident Command System, shared communication frequencies, shared 

 initial attack dispatch centers, regional multi-agency coordination centers, and integrated decision 

 support systems like MIRPS - the Multi-Agency Incident Resource Processing System, all aimed 

 at using the taxpayer's dollar more efficiently. Many of these concepts are now used nationally 

 and by other states. The relatively new, California Fire Strategies Committee creates a forum for 

 federal, state and local agencies, as well as private companies, environmentalists and other 

 stakeholders to communicate and find better ways to share resources and program objectives. 



USDA FS Washington fire management policies don't work at local levels: 



Current USDA Forest Service fire management policies coming out of Washington don't work 

 for the state or local agencies and communities in California . . . and they don't even work for the 

 local US Forest Service fire managers in California. We believe that the Forest Service initial 

 attack fire program in California is under funded. This under funded initial attack coupled with 

 mandates from Washington cause our Forest Service partners to implement policies that allow 

 fires to get larger, which in turn threaten public safety and private assets. CDF does help the 

 Forest Service fight these large fires, at a cost of weakening our response to fires in our 

 jurisdiction. 



We are concerned that Washington's latest policies on fuels management are headed down the 

 same wrong path. Any prescribed fire program in California impacts all of us. Our programs 

 need to be coordinated to best use the available resources. 



California's Board of Forestry recently completed the latest revision of California's Fire Plan. 

 This strategic document describes a new, proactive fire planning process with an emphasis on 

 PreFire Management. The process includes all wildland fire service providers. In fact, the 

 California Fire Marshal is taking steps to take the process to local government's fire services. 

 Our stakeholders are included early in the decision making process Stakeholders are the ultimate 



