Cooperative Services of the Bureau

The DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control works in cooperation with many local, state, and federal agencies and individuals such as:

• FEMA, MEMA. and local EMS
• The U.S. Forest Service
• The USDA Cooperative Extension
• The Yankee Forestry Cooperative Project
• Mutual Aid Assistance
• The U.S. Military
• The U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife
• The Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission (NFFPC)
• The National Weather Service Skywarn Program
• The Massachusetts Air National Guard
• Nuclear Power Plants
• UMASS Cooperative Extension
• Search & Rescue
• Public Access Board
• Environmental Agencies
• Fire Departments and Law Enforcement Agencies
• Radiological Emergency Response Procedures
• The Massachusetts Fire Training AcaDCRy
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
• Scout groups, civic groups, and environmentally concerned citizens

Following is a description of the most important programs administered by the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control:

When major forest fires strike, it is critical that the necessary people, equipment, and support systems are managed quickly with personnel ready to fight the fire. Developing the resources needed for a major forest fire was not economically possible for any one state.

In 1949, The U.S. Congress passed an Act which established the first regional compact for the control of major forest fires in the Northeast. The NFFPC Compact (The Compact) provides the means for its member states and provinces to cope with fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member. The member states and provinces are the seven states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York plus the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

The Compact provides mutual aid among members and establishes procedures to facilitate the aid; supports the development of integrated forest fire plans; supports the maintenance of adequate forest fire fighting services by its members for mutual assistance; establishes a central agency to coordinate the services needed by member states and provinces; and provides training and education in advanced fire fighting technologies.

Four committees operate the Compact: 1)The Operations Committee which provides technical guidance regarding the operation of Compact activities. 2) The Training Committee which plans and implements programs in forest fire management, prevention, and control. 3) The Prevention Committee which assesses fire prevention needs within the Compact area 4) The Equipment Committee which promotes quality and uniformity of fire equipment selection and use among the Compact members.

For more information contact:

Clark M. Davis

Executive Director, NFFPC

36 Roslyn Avenue

Warner, NH 02278

(603) 456-3474

In 1978, Section 2 of the Clark-McNary Act of 1924 was superseded by Section 7 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (PL 95-313). This Act provided for the Federal Government to provide technical assistance and grants to states for purposes of wild land and rural community fire prevention and suppression control. The RFP&C (Rural Fire Prevention and Control) Program is funded through this original legislation.

The categories funded under this program (which operate in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service) are: Prevention and Environmental Education; Training and Publications; Equipment. Examples of purchases are fire prevention supplies; prizes for Smokey contests for expositions such as the annual Eastern States Exposition, Topsfield Fair, and the recent Massachusetts Centennial celebration; purchase of new Smokey Bear costumes; training of Bureau staff at the Northeast Forest Fire Compact meetings; new portable radios, bambi buckets, 1000 gallon slip-on units for tankers, and power tools.

For more information contact:

Roxanne Savoie

DCR Fire Control

Hampton Ponds State Park

1048 North Road

Westfield, MA 01085

413-538-9092

413-594-9048 (Fax)

The Rural Community Fire Protection Program is authorized under the Cooperative Assistance Act of 1978.

The Bureau, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service RCFP (Rural Community Fire Protection) program, works directly with rural communities on a priority of need basis to bring fire training methods; safety equipment; fire fighting supplies; and communications networks to communities with populations of 10,000 or less. The program is designed to assure effective suppression needs to communities that would otherwise be unable to promote a fire suppression program in their town.

This program provides technical, financial and other assistance to fire departments for forest fire related purposes. Small towns have been the recipients of Class A foam, personal protective gear, forestry tools, and other much needed equipment.

For more information contact:

Roxanne Savoie

DCR Fire Control

Hampton Ponds State Park

1048 North Road

Westfield, MA 01085

413-538-9092

413-594-9048 (Fax)

The DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control is also active in the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program (CFFP) which is sponsored jointly by the USDA Forest Service's branch of Cooperative Fire Protection; the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council.

This successful wild land fire prevention program has been in existence since the early 1940's, using Smokey Bear as its representative symbol. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts makes active use of this national campaign through the distribution of Smokey Bear prevention campaign material by the thirteen Fire Districts; use of the Smokey Bear Costume at schools, fairs, education programs, and parades throughout Massachusetts, and a new Smokey Bear puppet theater performed by school children.

The CFFP Program also maintains 17 patrols in the fire districts. These patrols are assigned fire prevention duties and work with the District Fire Wardens to further fire prevention activities.

One of the most successful and economically responsible programs in the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control is the FEPP (Federal Excess Personal Property) Program. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the USDA Forest Service cooperate in the FEPP program which provides cities and towns with fire fighting equipment and materials through items mostly loaned from military institutions, such as the U.S. Army. The FEPP program is an exceptional opportunity for Towns, Fire Districts, and other Agencies to acquire equipment and materials which would otherwise be unavailable for their fire fighting efforts.

Any equipment acquired must be used for fire control purposes only. Since its inception, Massachusetts fire departments and agencies have benefited by the free use of portable pumps, generators, blazers, deuce and one-halves, and other necessary equipment including personal protective clothing. District Fire Wardens must advise the Bureau Chief of federal excess property needs requested by the Town Forest Wardens and qualifying Fire Departments The requesting party must meet certain requirements. One requirement common to all states in this Federal program is a participant's responsibility for providing protection on forested, wild land property within their jurisdiction. In addition, they must agree that any conversions to the equipment will be done in a safe and timely manner; that they protect the equipment from theft, vandalism, and weather damage; that they paint the vehicles fire service colors; that they maintain liability insurance for the vehicle; and that they maintain records of the disposition of the equipment or materials throughout the term of the loan.

When the requested property is located through the federal excess property database, a requisition is submitted to the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control for transfer of the property. The acquired equipment or materials remain the property of the U.S. Government until they are returned or officially disposed of.

For more information contact:

Todd LaFleur

Federal Excess Personal Property Program

Region 1 Headquarters

Cranberry Road, P.O. Box 66

South Carver, MA 02366

508-866-2580 ext 108

The objective of the Massachusetts Forest Fire Council is the dissemination of information of the many forest fire related organizations and associations throughout Massachusetts which pertain to the prevention and suppression of forest fires.

The MFFC is designed to improve communications and a cooperative working relationship between these organizations, the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control, the Town Forest Wardens and the Town Fire Chiefs. In most towns, the person holding the position of Fire Chief also holds the position of Town Forest Warden. Currently, there are seven towns in the state which maintain separate Forest Wardens.

Approximately 10% of the towns in the state of Massachusetts are involved in the MFFC, mostly from the rural communities. The MFFC is becoming a politically influential group and represents the needs of the fire community as a consolidated voice to deal with state-wide fire related issues.

For further information contact:

Massachusetts Forest Fire Council

Secretary Phil Stevens

P.O. Box 133

Hamilton, MA 01963

978-356-9145

The use of helicopters for aerial water drops in the suppression of forest fires was introduced in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1974.

A formal agreement was entered into in May of 1997 between the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DCR), the Massachusetts Army Air National Guard (MA ARNG), and the State Fire Marshal. The Massachusetts Army Air National Guard provides assistance for water bucket transportation for emergency service required to put out forest fires in areas inaccessible by normal fire fighting methods.

The agreement states the availability of at least one helicopter appropriate for water bucket transportation located at Camp Edwards in Falmouth, MA and at least one located at the Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, MA to cover the western and eastern parts of the state. MA ARNG shall assign crews qualified to operate such aircraft. DCR shall station "Bambi" buckets at each of the above sites and will furnish a sling suitable for attaching the water bucket to the helicopter. In addition, DCR will provide water drop and fire behavior training to crew members annually and maintain the equipment necessary for the water drop operations.

This reciprocal agreement was entered into with the understanding that the DCR provide expertise, personnel, and equipment necessary to carry out prescribed burning of vegetative material within the firing range at Camp Edwards which will assist MA ARNG in its effort to prevent the escape of wildfires from the base area.

The Chief of Fire Control, or in his absence, the Director of Forests and Parks, may initiate a request for helicopter use by contacting the State Fire Marshal.

The Bureau maintains a trained and active "Wildfire Crew" that is Red Card certified through the U.S. Forest Service. To become Red Card Certified, an individual must pass a series of written and physical tests. The physical tests are administered annually. These trained individuals are ready for deployment day or night to participate in any out-of-state or in-state federally managed forest fire.

There are approximately sixty individuals currently on the state's wildfire crew list. Approximately half of these individuals are from state agencies including the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control. The Wildfire Crew has participated in fighting fires at Palomar, California; the fires of Yellowstone, Wyoming which claimed the lives of 14 fire fighters; the Grasslands of North Dakota, Montana, Idaho; and the recent devastating Florida forest fires, which lasted 43 days and burned over 500,000 acres of forested land.

The equipment and materials used by the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew are maintained by the DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control and are funded through the Federal Excess Property Program, RFP&C funds, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' annual funds.

For more information contact:

Philip Gilmore

District 9 Fire Warden

Erving State Forest

200 East Main Street

Erving, MA 01344

978-544-2760

In cooperation with the Massachusetts Fire AcaDCRy and by arrangement, trained DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control personnel teach current techniques in forest fire behavior; new methods of forest fire suppression; "Incident Command" operations; fire safety; and conduct DCRonstrations of modern fire fighting equipment.

It is the goal of the training committee of the Bureau to maintain a staff of skilled and physically able Firefighters. Preparation training for Towerman, Truckman, Patrolman, and District Fire Warden (not gender specific) are conducted by the Bureau. Generalized training in "Basic Fire fighting" is given through the S-130/S-190 training series. Depending on the level of responsibility of the Bureau personnel, specific training is also offered. Examples are the S-200 training series for truckman up to supervisor which covers the "Initial Attack Incident Command" system (for the organization of any major fire incident involving multiple operations) and the S-201/ S-301 training series which are supervisory courses that involve the management of human resources. Additional skill specific training is also available. Examples are training in "Fire Operations in the Urban Interface," "Crew Boss," "Ignition Course for Prescribed Burning," "Interagency Helicopter Training," and "Portable Pumps."

Specialized training is also available to prepare individuals for the U.S. Forest Service's Red Card Certification to participate in the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew. This includes the S130/S-130 training series as well as a rigorous physical stress test.

The training of supplemental forces such as parks personnel; the inmate suppression training program (which trains inmates to serve as "hot-shot" fire line crews); training for municipal fire fighting forces upon the request of the municipal fire department; and DCRonstrations conducted for National Fire Protection Association personnel are also arranged through the Bureau's training committee.

For more information on training programs contact:

Philip Gilmore

District 9 Fire Warden

Erving State Forest

200 East Main Street

Erving, MA 01344

978-544-2760

Assistance is provided to agencies such as the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and communities throughout the state during disasters or civil defense emergencies. Bureau personnel have aided in recovery efforts after major incidents like the combined hurricane and flood of 1938; the Blizzard of 1978; Hurricane Bob; and other tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and aircraft or train related accidents.

Bureau personnel are "first responder" certified, as well as trained for search and rescue operations.

An example of the assistance provided includes the coordination of resources through "Incident Command" organization; the direct assistance of pumping operations; the assignment of District Fire Wardens and equipment such as four-wheel drive units to State Police Barracks; and the deployment of Bureau personnel and equipment for direct hurricane recovery efforts. Emergencies and natural disaster assistance are coordinated through the Bureau Chief and the DCR Communication Control Center at 1-800-831-0569.

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