2016 Annual ReportFire Management Section Forest Resources Division

Fire danger was lower than average in 2016. Weather trends showed no significant stretches of warm, dry weather in the spring; however, there was a significant dry period in July and early August until precipitation was received on Aug. 8.

2016 Forest Resources Division Fire Management Section Annual Report Summary

Character and Extent of Fire SeasonSpring SummerRating

Extreme/Very HighHigh

Moderate/Low

131429

1041131

• Debris burning - 27%• *Miscellaneous - 24%• Campfire - 13%• Equipment - 12%

Fire Cause

Wildfire OccurrenceIn 2016, 262 reportable fires (83% of average) occurred on 3,236

acres (46% of average).* The largest fire this year was a 2,000-acre fire on Range 40 Camp Grayling. In total, Forest Resources

Division (FRD) responded to 384 fires.*Ten-year average includes Sleeper Lake and Duck Lake fires.

• Suspicious - 7%• Powerline - 6%• Structure - 5%• Lightning - 2%

• Smoking - 2%• Fireworks - 2%• Children - 2%• Railroad - 1%

% of burnsDivision

WildlifeParks

Forest Resources

711613

Prescribed Fire

In 2016, 75 burns were completed on 8,169 acres. The average over the last three years was 103 burns on 8,615 acres.

Fire Planning Air Operations - 1,823 total flight hours8 Agreements and annual operating plans with federal and state partners; 3 Memorandums of Understanding; and 657 Mutual Aid Agreements with fire departments

• 769 - Forest Resources• 709 - Wildlife

• 66 - Law Enforcement• 273 - Eagles• 6 - Fisheries

Fire Prevention and Public EducationFRD staff spent 2,357 hours educating 130,000 mem-bers of the public on fire prevention.

• Burn permit web traffic - 155,908 views• Burn permit phone contacts - 59,075• Fire management website traffic - 38,603 views• 6,600 radio spots• 16,688 free public service announcements

In 2016, FRD staff received 13,058 hours of fire training from 24 different courses. Thirty staff recieved new fireline qualifications. FRD staff also provided fire training to cooperators and emergency services agencies which included 1,657 students for 29,048 hours in 11 different courses.

Fire Training

Federal Excess Property Programs

In 2016, FRD recieved $5,293,794 in federal excess property. Forty pieces of equipment valued at $2,589,901 were placed with local fire departments. The DNR put into service 55 pieces of equipment valued at $1,586,540.

Fire EquipmentFRD maintains 365 pieces of rolling stock fire equipment, from UTVs to

large dozers. Seventy-eight pieces (21%) are more than 30 years old and 185 pieces (51%) are over 20 years old. The 2016 Equipment Budget was $1.231 million; of that, $1 million was one-time funding from the Forest

Development Fund and $231,500 was from the operating budget.

$300,823 in grants was award-ed to 109 fire departments for communications equipment,

personal protective equipment, pumps, hoses and other fire-

related equipment.

Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants

A total of 34 dispatches included six engines, four tractorplows and

58 employees. FRD’s Incident Man-agement Teams were on assign-ment for 10 weeks to assist with

the Flint Water Incident.

Out-of-state Assignments The Legislature passed House

Bill 5128, allowing retirees to return to assist with wildfire suppression. New legislation

regarding prescribed burn no-tifications was also discussed

with a representative from southwest Michigan.

Legislation

*Miscellaneous fires include those started by military weapons, chimneys, ash disposal and den tree burnings.

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Contents Statewide Report Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Character and Extent of Fire Season ........................................................................................................................... 2

Wildfire Occurrence and Suppression ....................................................................................................................... 5

Prescribed Fire .................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Fire Planning ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Air Operations .................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Fire Prevention and Public Education ..................................................................................................................... 12

Fire Training ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Federal Excess Personal Property and Firefighter Property Equipment Programs ............................. 15

Forest Fire Experiment Station and Roscommon Equipment Center ........................................................ 16

Out of State Assignments and Incident Management Teams ......................................................................... 17

Forest Resources Division Fire Management Section The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of 1994, Part 515 Prevention and

Suppression of Forest Fires states that “the department (DNR) shall have charge of the prevention

and suppression of forest fires and shall appoint assistants as needed to implement this part”.

The Forest Resources Division (FRD) Fire Management Section is responsible for statewide fire

program oversight and is located in the FRD central office in Lansing. The section consists of the

section manager, two fire specialists, the federal excess property coordinator and section secretary.

The section also includes the aviation manager located in Roscommon and four pilots located in

Roscommon, Newberry, Escanaba and Houghton. The Forest Fire Experiment Station (FFES) and

Roscommon Equipment Center (REC) staff also report to the section. The FFES and REC staff

consist of one manager, one engineer, one draftsperson, one machinist, one welder and one heavy

equipment mechanic, all working in Roscommon.

The section provides fire program direction, develops policy and oversees budget at the central

office. Field operations, managed by FRD’s Field Coordinator, carries out fire program operations at

two Incident Coordination Centers in Roscommon and Marquette, four district offices, seventeen

management unit offices and thirty field offices. A variety of FRD staff and other DNR staff assist

with fire suppression at these locations both directly on the fireline and in overhead or support

roles. Approximately 450 staff fitness test annually for fireline duty and numerous other staff assist

on Incident Management Teams and other support roles.

Air Operations Report .....................................................................................................................................................18

Federal Excess Property Program Report...............................................................................................................18

Forest Fire Experiment Station Report ....................................................................................................................18

Roscommon Equipment Center Report.....................................................................................................................18

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FRD maintains four Incident Management Teams that are well-organized and available to manage

large or complex wildfires. These teams have also been called upon to assist other DNR divisions

and state agencies with all hazard incidents over the past few years.

This report will highlight many of the program priorities and accomplishments in calendar year 2016 as well as describe weather and fire danger ratings, fire occurrence and assistance provided

nationally to federal and state agencies.

Character and Extent of Fire Season

Number of Class Fire Days

Fire Class Days or Fire Danger encompasses the chances of a fire starting as well as how difficult

fires could be to suppress. Fire Danger is used as a way to educate the public on the fire conditions,

to determine when to issue burn permits and to assure that the appropriate fire response resources

are available for dispatch. The chart above shows a general overview of the fire danger in the state

throughout the year. Local conditions may vary from this example but this indicates that the 2016

fire season risk was lower than average.

FRD uses the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) to rate the risk of wildfires in

Michigan. Fire danger is a general term used to express a variety of factors in the fire environment,

such as ease of ignition and difficulty of control. Fire danger rating systems produce qualitative

and/or numeric indices of fire potential, which are used as guides in a wide variety of fire

management practices.

Over the past 10 years, 65 percent of the fires FRD took action on occurred in the months of March,

April and May, with June, July and August making up an additional 25 percent of the fires. Of all the

fires, 76 percent have occurred on days with a fire danger rating of “Very High” or “Extreme.” Of

those fires, 14 were over 100 acres and considered a large fire.

Spring Summer Total

Extreme 1 2 3

Very High 12 8 20

High 14 27 41

Moderate 11 37 48

Low 18 65 83

0

50

100

150

200

250

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In 2016, the fire activity was spread out over the year, more than a normal year, with 56 percent in

March, April and May and June, July and August making up an additional 34 percent. This fire

activity indicates a more moist cool spring and a drier summer in late June and July. Seventy-nine

percent of all fires occurred on Very High and Extreme fire days and the two larger fires this year

occurred on a Moderate and High fire day.

In the spring the Fine Fuel Moisture Code FFMC (drying of the finer fuels, leaves and grass) along

with the Initial Spread Index ISI (wind and FFMC combined) provide a rating on how easily a fire

will start and spread. The higher those numbers the easier a fire will start. FFMC over 85 and ISI

over 6 means fires will start and spread easily whereas FFMC of 90 and ISI of 10 means conditions

will support extreme fire behavior. The graph above of 2016 spring fire danger conditions in the

Mio area is an example. When both the FFMC and the ISI lines are up, those are higher risk days;

when they are lower, those are days of rain or cooler days and the risk is lower.

This chart is typical of the fire danger conditions experienced throughout the state in April and May.

Through that time period, there were no significantly long stretches of dry weather and extreme

fire danger. But in mid-April for a few days and the third week of May, there were periods of higher

fire danger and more fire activity.

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

20

40

60

80

100

ISI

FFM

C

Mio Weather Station 03/14/2016-05/31/2016

FFMC ISI

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“Green up” is a term used when the majority of the new growth in the forests has appeared and

dominates the landscape. This usually happens in the Lower Peninsula around June 1 and in the

Upper Peninsula June 10. This year green up was right on schedule and after green up is declared

we convert to using summer fire danger criteria.

In the summer the CFFDRS uses the Build Up Index BUI (indicates the total amount of fuel available

to burn, combines Drought and Duff Moisture) and the ISI as mentioned above. Typically in the

summer, when the BUI reaches 70, heavier fuels begin to burn and fires burn deeper into the

ground. This means fires become harder to fully extinguish and more intense. If the BUI reaches

100 across a significant part of the state, spring criteria is used to determine fire danger. The graph

above is an example of the summer rating for the same weather station near Mio. As the chart

shows the BUI and Drought Code continuously climbed through the early summer and reached its

peak in late July and early August before significant rains occurred. This weather trend occurred in

most parts of the state except in southeast Michigan where the drying peaked in early, July resulting

in many concerns about fires starting from fireworks. A number of communities in Detroit and

suburbs banned fireworks and outdoor fires during that dry time until significant rains happened in

late July.

0

50

100

150

0100200300400500600

BU

I

DC

Mio Weather Station

06/01/2016-11/15/2016

DC BUI

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Wildfire Occurrence and Suppression

10 Year fire occurrence statewide

Acres Burned

Number of Fires

Even though the fire season risk was lower than average in 2016, FRD still experienced fires.

Fortunately this helped reduce the number of fires below our yearly average and in keeping the

fires smaller. The charts above provide statewide totals for fires that FRD took direct suppression

action on (reportable fires) and the acres burned. In addition to the 262 reportable fires FRD also

responded to another 122 fires and assisted the local fire departments or investigated the cause of

the fire. The total response by FRD to wildfires in 2016 is 384. The chart below demonstrates

reportable fire activity by FRD Management Unit. The one Class F (1000 to 4999 acres) fire was a

2000 acre fire that occurred as the result of firing activities on a range on the Camp Grayling Joint

Maneuver Training Center. The fire was contained within the range and did not threaten other

lands. Typically FRD responds to at least one fire in the Class F (1000 to 4999 acres) size each year

somewhere in the state.

The 10-year average for reportable fire occurrence is 314 fires and the average for total acreage is

7,052 acres. The 10-year average for all wildfire response is 447 fires and 7,799 acres.

Of the reportable fires that FRD took direct suppression action on in 2016, 279 structures were

threatened and 251 were saved. Five residential structures and 23 out buildings were lost.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Acres Burned 20948 2240 2943 11359 1746 23813 740 551 2946 3236

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Number of Fires 403 320 321 365 199 495 262 168 348 262

0

200

400

600

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2016 Wildfires by Size Class Chart by Management Unit

Fire Acres Class A (0.2 ac or less)

Class B (0.3-9.9 ac)

Class C (10.0-99.9 ac)

Class D (100.0-299.9 ac)

Class E (300.0-999.9 ac)

Class F (1000-4999.9 ac)

Class G (5000.0 ac +)

Total Fires

Total Acres

Atlanta 6 13 0 0 0 0 0 19 35 Baraga 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 16.3 Cadillac 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 9 12.8 Crystal Falls 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 11 26.4 Escanaba 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 10 9.4 Gaylord 7 21 1 0 0 0 0 29 58 Gladwin 18 31 2 0 0 0 0 51 92.4 Grayling 11 18 2 0 0 1 0 32 2372.3 Gwinn 8 11 1 0 0 0 0 20 57.6 Newberry 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 6 21.7 Plainwell 2 16 3 0 0 0 0 21 139.7 Roscommon 2 9 4 0 0 0 0 15 69.2 Rose Lake 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sault Ste. Marie

3 4 2 1 0 0 0 10 275.1

Shingleton 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 9 Traverse City

3 8 0 0 0 0 0 11 10.3

National Forests

1 6 1 0 0 0 0 8 30.4

Total 76 167 16 1 0 1 0 262 3235.6

2016 Fire Cause

The fire causes for 2016 are shown below in the pie chart. As with most years, debris burning

represents a significant source of fire starts as does miscellaneous. The “miscellaneous” category

represents a fire that cannot be properly classified under other general causes or the cause was not

determined. An equipment fire includes all equipment except powerlines and railroads. Suspicious

fires are fires suspected to be arson-related but are not yet proven. These fires are all human-

caused fires and can be prevented; only lightning fires are not human caused fires. Lightning

accounts for very little fire activity in Michigan especially during years of lower fire danger and 2

percent is very typical. When lightning fires occur they are usually more difficult to find, gain access

to and extinguish because they often occur in remote areas.

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Suppression success stories

In August of 2016, a fire started on the Crawford/Oscoda County line on private property

that quickly spread onto U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Grayling Field office fire

suppression units stopped the fire at the edge of miles of Kirtland Warbler Habitat

consisting of a Jack Pine forest type. This was in one of our critical high hazard zone fire

dispatch areas. An air resource (Air Tractor with 700 gallon capability) on standby with the

U.S. Forest Service was utilized that made eight drops totaling 5600 gallons on the fire. The

aggressive actions of the initial attack fire resources on the ground, supported by the

suppression aircraft, kept the size of a wildfire small that had tremendous potential to reach

several thousand acres.

DNR fire detection aircraft spotted smoke from an escaped campfire at a cabin. DNR

suppression units from Lincoln arrived and put out the fire just before it reached the cabin,

saving the structure.

A fire started behind a residence in Crawford County. The homeowner started the fire while

burning debris. While trying to put it out, the homeowner collapsed from a medical issue

and was threatened by the spreading fire. The Grayling Unit Fire Supervisor arrived on

scene and was able to remove the homeowner from the situation, saving the man’s life.

The Prison Camp fire on Aug. 8, 2016 occurred in the Whitefish Zone just south of Paradise

on a day that was predicted to have very high fire danger. The fire was held to 15.8 acres,

but it could have grown easily with the fuels in the area. The next day brought a major

increase in winds and directional shift. The fire was held in the containment lines and some

mop up was accomplished. Newberry has a number of newer firefighters in training roles to

gain new qualifications so it can be a challenge to staff on these types of days. Still, all went

Lightning 2%

Campfire 13% Smoking 2%

Debris 27%

Railroad 1% Equipment12%

Suspicous 7%

Children 2%

Misc. 24%

Fireworks 2%

Powerline 6%

Structure Fire 5%

*Miscellaneous fires include those started by military weapons, chimneys, ash disposal and den tree burnings.

8

well; the fire was contained and safely held under challenging conditions and training

opportunities were taken advantage of.

“Zone 10” between Muskegon and Oceana saw two fires this year, one 20 acres and the

other 40 acres. Because FRD identified the need for preplanned ‘Zone” dispatches local

firefighters were available for immediate response. With high hazard fuel types in this zone

either of these fires could have become a significant fire of 100 acres or more. Quick

response and appropriate suppression actions prevented that from happening.

Prescribed Fire

Prescribed Burns completed

Prescribed Acres completed

2016 resulted in a slightly less than average year for the number of burns completed. FRD’s goal

was to complete around 100 burns again this year but with the weather and scheduling issues FRD

was not able to reach that number. However FRD was able to burn significantly more acreage than

average years.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Number 49 175 51 86 61 46 36 105 131 75

0

50

100

150

200

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Acres 3660 8364 2228 6367 3800 4412 2647 9815 7861 8169

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

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As can be seen in the charts and graphs above, 2008 was an unusual year with 175 burns total

many of which were the result of Wildlife Division concentrating on pheasant habitat

improvements and prescribed treatments for many areas in the Thumb for burning. The prescribed

burning effort slowly declined for five years after 2008 with the lowest year being 2013 resulting in

only 36 burns for 2647 acres. After 2013 FRD, Parks and Recreation Division and Wildlife Division

determined that prescribed burning should become a priority to maintain habitat, reduce invasive

species, promote native landscapes, reduce slash for planting and conduct fuels management. For

the past three years, burning numbers have averaged 103 burns for 8615 acres. The size of burns

has increased over the past three years as well from an average of around 50 acres per burn to

nearly 90 acres per burn. This can be attributed to more landscape types of burning and more cost

effective use of resources.

The chart below describes what state lands FRD has been burning on. The majority of the burning

over the past four years has occurred on Wildlife Division managed lands to assist with wildlife

habitat improvements, including managing invasive species. The majority of Parks Division burns

are to manage for native landscape, assist with reducing thatch and producing native seed sources.

FRD burns are generally for slash reduction for either planting or fuels reduction and for reducing

competition and opening up seed beds for red and jack pine.

Prescribed burns – total number and acreage by Division

Year FRD PRD WLD %Number %Acres %Number %Acres %Number %Acres

2016 13% 10 7% 580 16% 12 14% 1095 71% 53 79% 5404 2015 36% 47 40% 3111 11% 15 13% 1037 53% 69 47% 3713 2014 25% 26 39% 3801 25% 26 13% 1312 50% 52 48% 4713 2013 19% 7 29% 762 50% 18 37% 970 31% 11 34% 914

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Fire Planning

Throughout the year, it is important for local fire staff to maintain good working relationships with

cooperators and partners. Meetings and trainings occur annually between local staff, local county

fire departments and dispatch centers. This past year, fire officers attended over 130 local meetings

to coordinate training, develop fire ground communications plans, discuss fire tactics, inspect

federal excess property assigned to departments and become familiar with how each agency

operates.

Many agreements, memorandums of understanding, operating plans and other documents are

updated yearly. These include those with our partners from the U.S Forest Service, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, Border Agreement with Wisconsin, Operating plans with Partners

in the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact, Michigan National Guard, Michigan State Police, National

Weather Service, other DNR divisions and mutual aid agreements with all the local fire departments

that have federal excess property assigned to them.

The State Fire Supervisor is an active member of the National Association of State Foresters, Fire

Supervisors Committee. This committee meets as a whole every two years and regional committees

meet annually. In January, the entire committee met in Boise, ID and the Northeast Area 20 State

Fire Supervisors met in June in Pennsylvania. Topics discussed at these meetings included:

qualifying equivalent training courses, qualification standards, master agreement liability language,

administratively determined (AD) or casual hire firefighters, state fire statistics, federal grants,

forest action plans and others. The 2016 meeting of the NEA Fire Supervisors was the kick off for

the 50th anniversary of the committee. The state fire supervisor also represents the NE Area State

Fire Supervisors on the Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC) Steering Committee and one

FRD Staff Specialist is a cadre member of that course.

Many of the FRD fire managers are members of committees as part of the Great Lakes Forest Fire

Compact (GLFFC) which partners with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Manitoba to coordinate

activities and share information related to fire prevention, training, resources sharing, aviation, law

enforcement and communications. One Lansing Fire Specialist represents the GLFFC on the U.S.

Forest Service Eastern Area Dispatch Working Team.

11

Annually in February each FRD office reviews and updates the FRD Fire Plan located on the Fire

Response web site. If there are any significant changes needed during the year updates can be made

as well. Zone dispatch plans and standby locations are reviewed annually and any changes are

made prior to the first of April.

This past year and the previous several years FRD has seen a number of experienced staff retire or

move on to new roles. This has resulted in a large number of newer staff that have yet to reach the

fire experience and qualification levels needed to perform all the tasks. Succession planning is

probably the most difficult planning issue the FRD fire program faces. FRD started reviewing

national and state qualification guides and are looking at new ways to assist newer staff in

becoming qualified. Training schedules and plans are set based on division staff needs, staff are

assigned with mentors to training roles on prescribed burns and fires and simulations are used

where practical. FRD will continue this effort into 2017.

Air Operations

DNR/FRD’s Air program is housed mainly in

Roscommon at the DNR Conservation Airport

where we have two pilots, one of which is the

program chief pilot and carries out missions

primarily in the Lower Peninsula. FRD also has

pilots and aircraft located in Newberry, Escanaba

and Houghton servicing the Upper Peninsula. The

chief pilot oversees all aspects of the air

operations program including budget, facilities,

personnel, contracts and maintaining working

relationships with partners and cooperators.

A significant change at the beginning of 2016 was the retirement of chief pilot Bill Green after 23

years of service. Bill made some significant changes to the air operations program over those years

such as developing a business model, replacing older aircraft types with types more suited to the

missions flown and hiring new pilots. Since Bill’s retirement Kevin Jacobs has been promoted to

chief pilot and FRD has hired his replacement Mark Wilke at Roscommon.

DNR pilots flew 769 hours for fire detection in 2016. Our pilots also fly missions for a number of

other divisions, as can be seen in the attached air operations report.

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Fire Prevention and Public Education Burn Permit Web Site hits – 155,908

Phone Contacts for Burn Permits – 59,075

Staff hours spent and number of public reached by Management Unit

Staff hours spent Number of public reached Atlanta 330 1000 Baraga 50 1000 Cadillac 240 800* Crystal Falls 50* 600 Escanaba 40 200 Gaylord 250 4500 Gladwin 100 800 Grayling 100* 1000* Gwinn 120 1500 Newberry 100* 800* Plainwell 300 50000 Roscommon 250 34000 Rose Lake 75 10000 Sault Ste. Marie 16 500 Shingleton 56 600 Traverse City 180 22000 Lansing and Coordination Centers 100 1000 Total: 2357 130300 *estimated

FRD Fire Managers oversee the burn permitting

system for all agencies in the Northern Lower

Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula. This system

includes a web site and a call center

(www.michigan.gov/burnpermit and 866-922-

2876). In the Southern Lower Peninsula, permits

are managed by local units of government or fire

departments. The department and division along

with our federal and local partners participate in

the Michigan Interagency Wildfire Prevention

Association (MIWFPA) to provide public

education in wildfire prevention. FRD and MIWFPA have cooperated in the installation of several

electronic Smokey Bear Fire Danger signs in key locations along major highways, education

pamphlets and advertising through radio, TV and social media.

The GLFFC also has a prevention committee which FRD has two fire staff assigned to work with.

The committee develops regional messaging for public education, designs and distributes fire

13

prevention products, coordinates activities between states and agencies and works with federal

partners to meet national prevention goals.

FRD’s Fire Specialist in Lansing manages a contract with the advertising company Yaffe to send

Smokey’s message out via billboards, radio and TV and social media. In 2016, 6,600 radio spots and

16,688 free public service announcements were aired to educate the public about fire prevention.

In addition there were 38,603 hits on the DNR FRD Wildfire web page.

The hours in the chart above are field staff hours spent at local, county and community events as

well as state events such as Detroit River Days, Michigan Firemen’s Memorial Festival, U.P. State

Fair and others. These local and state events allow FRD staff to reach thousands of Michigan’s

citizens and visitors with Smokey’s fire prevention messages.

Fire Training

Through the cooperative efforts of the GLFFC and our partnerships with federal and state agencies,

FRD was able to offer a variety of fire training classes and simulations. The GLFFC Training

Committee is committed to providing higher level fire courses that individual states cannot carry

out on their own. Courses such as S420 Command and General Staff (Michigan), Section Chiefs

Academy (Minnesota), Canadian Advanced Fire

Behavior (Wisconsin and Ontario) and L-380

Fireline Leadership (Wisconsin) are courses that

the GLFFC has sponsored over the past year.

Michigan has hosted the S420 course twice in

the past three years in part due to the compact

support and because Michigan has an

outstanding fire simulation training team. With

our in-state federal partners, we have planned

and participated in an engine academy, fire

investigation training and air operations training

courses.

Because our firefighters are well-trained and have a variety of state and national experiences, we

are able to provide high quality fire training to our local fire departments, dispatch centers and

county emergency managers. FRD and local fire departments often work closely together on

wildfire suppression, so training together is critical to smooth and safe fireline operations. Courses

include Michigan Introduction to Wildland Fire, basic weather and fire behavior, wildland fire

operations for fire department officers, fireline leadership and Incident Command System. In 2016,

FRD conducted 11 different courses (some multiple times throughout the state) to 1657 students

amounting to 29,048 hours of classroom and practical training.

In 2016, FRD firefighters also received 13,058 hours of training in 24 different courses. These

courses included:

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Commercial Driver’s License Class A for 5 students for 4800 hours

Basic Firefighter courses for 60 students for 910 hours

Mid-Level Fireline Leadership courses for 25 students for 876 hours

Advance Level Fireline Leadership courses for 27 students for 968 hours

Refreshers, simulations and tactics training amounted to 5504 hours

FRD’s goal this past year was to assist a number of firefighters reach the Engine Boss (ENGB)

qualification, something we had identified as a weakness in our organization. This year, seven

firefighters have reached the goal of ENGB and another four staff have obtained Tractorplow Initial

Attack qualification which also is a key qualification needed on the fireline.

Number of staff receiving new qualifications in 2016:

Firefighter Type 1 – 3

Incident Commander Type 5 - 3

Commercial Driver’s License A – 5

Fire Investigator – 1

Engine Boss – 7

Heavy Equipment Boss – 1

Tractorplow Operator - 1

Tractorplow Initial Attack – 4

Felling Boss – 1

Task Force Leader – 1

Safety Officer Type 2 – 1

Incident Commander Type 3 – 1

Prescribed Burn Boss Type 2 – 1

Emergency Dispatcher - 1

To become fully qualified, a firefighter has to complete a formal training course; they must also

complete a task book that demonstrates they are capable of performing the tasks of that position.

They are observed by another qualified firefighter and evaluated prior to receiving that

qualification. In some cases, this process can take up to three years to complete. Besides the staff

here completing their task book, many other firefighters have initiated task books or took a class.

This is an ongoing process as firefighters are always working toward their next qualification goal.

Fire Equipment

FRD maintains approximately 365 pieces of rolling stock fire equipment, including trailer

mounted pumps; ORV/UTV units; small, medium and large engines; dozers and tractorplows;

skidders converted to engines; semi-tractor and trailers; tiltbed transports; marsh units; and

command vehicles. This equipment is housed at offices strategically located across the state to

provide an appropriate response to wildfires. Of the 365 pieces of fire equipment, 185 pieces (51

percent) are 20 years old or older and 78 pieces (21 percent) are 30 years old or older.

15

In 2016, FRD was fortunate to receive a onetime allocation of $1 million for fire equipment

replacement. Included with the annual operating budget, this allowed $1.231 million to replace an

aging fleet of wildland fire equipment. Even though FRD received the additional funding in 2016,

most of the replacement equipment will be placed in service over the next fiscal year. The

purchasing process for an identified list of replacement equipment was started and in some cases

equipment will need to be fabricated or modified at the Forest Fire Experiment Station (FFES) over

the next year. Items planned and ordered include: two tractorplows, two large engines, two

medium engines, two small engines and four transport units as well as several smaller items.

Several of the engines and transport units were federal excess property that FRD converted into

fire equipment.

In 2016 many stations received new portable pumps; all UTVs received new roofs manufactured at

the FFES; four stations received federal excess property enclosed trailers to be used as prescribed

burn trailers; five federal excess property UTV were distributed; four federal excess property

generators were placed in service; the Evart Office replaced their 1987 John Deere 450 tractorplow

with a new John Deere 550; the Sault Ste. Marie Office replaced their 1989 small engine with a 2009

unit; Naubinway replaced their semi-tractor with a federal excess property Freightliner semi-

tractor; and the Alpena small engine was sent to the FFES to be refitted with a new bed and tank. A

new design for a different large engine chassis also was developed and fabricated at the FFES and

field tested then placed in service in the Upper Peninsula; the new Marsh Unit for the Upper

Peninsula was outfitted with decking, panels, guardrails and track jacks; and a new parts and

equipment inventory database was installed and populated at the FFES.

Updated Facilities

FRD maintains 47 management unit and field offices that house fire response equipment and staff

that are strategically located across the state to provide an appropriate wildland fire response. Of

those offices, eight received funding for repair and improvement projects. Alpena was connected to

city sewer and water to alleviate an issue with septic back up and water contamination; Indian

River insulated, replaced and added lighting and painted the office; Standish replaced the roof;

Muskegon replaced overhead doors; Oceana replaced the furnace; Roscommon Field Office

replaced poor cement under the overhead doors; Rose Lake Warehouse renovated the office,

meeting room and bathroom; and Traverse City Field Office moved into the new facility along with

the Customer Service Center.

Federal Excess Personal Property and Firefighter Property Equipment

Programs FRD administers the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and the Department of Defense-

Firefighter Property program (DOD-FFP) to make it possible for local fire departments to get

wildland and structural fire equipment they need for a fraction of what it would cost otherwise.

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More than 400 fire departments throughout Michigan have benefitted from the excess federal

property made available by the FRD. Over 800 pieces of equipment valued at more than $19 million

have supplemented firefighting units statewide. Below is one example of a used freightliner

converted to a fire department water supply tender.

The annual report is attached and additional information about the program can be found at

www.michigan.gov/excessfireequipment.

Forest Fire Experiment Station and Roscommon Equipment Center

The Forest Fire Experiment Station (FFES) and

Roscommon Equipment Center (REC) focus on the

development of specialized equipment for forest fire

control. Activities include engineering new equipment,

designing modifications for existing equipment and

testing commercially available equipment. The FFES

provides engineering and fabricating for many DNR

projects but the emphasis is on developing wildland fire

equipment for Forest Resources Division. The REC

program is housed in the FFES facility and is managed and carried out by the same FRD employees,

but places emphasis on other state and local agency needs. The REC is funded through the National

Association of State Foresters and each state contributes funds to support the effort. The REC has

lead in the design of fire control uses of excess U.S. Military vehicles. In addition to the focus on

wildland fire engines, the REC program pursues projects concerning fireline construction tools,

specialized water handling equipment, commercial equipment evaluation and fire chemical

delivery systems.

The annual reports for the FFES and the REC are attached and further information can be found at

www.roscommonequipmentcenter.com/index.html

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Out of State Assignments and Incident Management Teams

Nationally, 2016 was a slower year for wildland fires due to wetter, cooler weather and less fire

activity. This also meant Michigan’s firefighting assistance was not required nationally as much as

normal years, resulting in 34 dispatches. Typically, the DNR dispatches 50 to 100 resources

(personnel, equipment, etc.) to western states in July, August and September. In 2016, only 10

resources were dispatched to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and California. DNR firefighters

filled needed roles that included basic Firefighter, Engine Boss, Division Supervisor, Public

Information Officer, Safety Officer and Procurement Unit Leader.

In the fall, national fire activity increased. In late October through late November, FRD dispatched

six Engines, four Tractorplows, an Operation Section Chief and a Public Information Officer to assist

with fires in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and Mississippi, totaling 24 separate dispatches.

Through these national dispatch opportunities, not only does the DNR assist other states and

federal agencies in their time of need, DNR firefighters gain valuable experience, improve their

qualifications, build great working relationships and bring back new ideas to improve fire

operations in Michigan. Michigan also has several staff on national Incident Management Teams

(IMT). FRD has employees assigned to the National Eastern Area Type 2 IMT in roles that include

Operations Section Chief and Safety Officer. In the Pacific Northwest FRD has a Type 1 Public

Information officer assigned to both an Alaska Team and a Pacific Northwest Team. In the south

FRD has a Safety Officer and Status Check-in Recorder assigned to two teams. These folks bring a

high level of experience back to Michigan.

Early in the year, DNR Emergency Management was requested to assist the Department of

Environmental Quality manage the governor’s orders and EPA orders for Flint. DNR Emergency

Manager and Law Enforcement Chief Gary Hagler requested the use of FRDs Incident Management

Teams to assist organizing the response from DEQ. FRD manages four DNR Incident Management

Teams (consisting of staff from all divisions) for wildfire and all hazard response in state. Team

members rotated on 10-day assignments in the DNR Emergency Coordination Center from Mid-

January through the end of March.

Legislation In the summer of 2016, House Bill 5128, sponsored by Representative Rendon, passed both the

House and Senate and was made into law. The bill allows retired state employees to return on a

limited basis to assist with wildfire suppression without losing their retirement benefits. The

proposed bill had been in the works for a couple of years and found support early in 2016.

FRD has also identified the need for a change in the Natural Resources and Environmental

Protection Act to allow DNR firefighters and incident management team members to assist with

out-of-state assignments for all hazard incidents. The law currently allows the DNR to enter into

agreements with federal agencies for forest fire assistance only. A change to include all hazard

incidents would benefit both the state and national partners during emergencies and disasters.

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ___________

INTEROFFICE COMMUNICATION ___________

January 23, 2017

TO: Jim Fisher, Fire Management Section Manager, Forest Resources Division

FROM: Kevin R. Jacobs, Aviation Manager

SUBJECT: MDNR Air Operations Fiscal Year 16 Report

2016 marked a significant change in personnel with the retirement of William Green, who held the position of Lead/Chief Pilot for 23 years. Bill Green instituted significant change to the air operations program when he became Chief Pilot, ranging from the type of aircraft the department utilizes to the way missions are conducted. Bill also developed a business model that we still use today. With my promotion to Aviation Manager, we were able to back-fill the Roscommon Pilot/AMT position with Mr. Mark Wilke. Mark brings an excellent skill set to the DNR and is a welcome addition to the air operations team. MDNR pilots have done a tremendous job of assisting through the transition and have demonstrated professionalism through the process. MDNR pilots provide a safe, efficient service to the department and their dedication to excellence does not go unnoticed - thank you for your service.

FRD aircraft flew 1823.2 hours in FY16 compared to 2,038.3 hours in FY15 for the following customers:

FMD 769.4 hours Wildlife 708.7 hours Law Enforcement 66.2 hours Eagle Surveys 272.5 hours

Fisheries 6.4 hours

The total flight hours in FY 16 decreased by 215.1 hours from FY15. This decrease was due to less fire detection (wetter spring) and an “off” year for the predator/prey program as well as the moose survey (Moose surveys are conducted every other year). Aircraft cost were comparable to FY15 with fuel cost lower by $0.57 per gallon.

Cessna N357ME, stationed in Houghton/Hancock, received an engine changed in FY16. Cessna N97745, stationed in Roscommon, is scheduled for replacement in FY17 as it has reached the airframe replacement hours. None of the other department aircraft are scheduled for major expenditures for budget year 2017.

Fire detection contracts are in place for the fire season with the same vendors as the previous year. The majority of our fire detection area, including all of the Upper Peninsula, will be flown by MDNR pilots.

February 24, 2016 Page 2 The aircraft hourly rates were raised in April of 2016 and will remain the same for FY2017. The rates are as follows:

Cessna 172 $125.00 Cessna 182 $135.00 A-36 Bonanza $150.00 If there are any questions about the annual report, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Kevin R. Jacobs Aviation Manager jacobsk@michigan.gov 989-275-5151 ext. 2053 989-370-4041 © Attachments: Aircraft Utilization Reports Pilot Time Monthly Summary Aircraft Data Sheet Pilot Flight Status Aircraft Cost Analysis cc: Harri Minett Wilke Zuehlke Chingwa Osterland WG:rd

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

___________

INTEROFFICE COMMUNICATION ___________

FEPP and DoD FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM ACQUISTIONS JAN 01, 2016 TO DEC 31, 2016 24 VEHICLES, TO INCLUDE 10 FIRETRUCKS 14 HEAVY EQUIPMENT, LOADERS, DOZERS, GRADERS, BACKHOES, FORKLIFTS. 12 TRAILERS 31 ATV’s NUMEROUS MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS, TO INCLUDE REPAIR PARTS, ENGINES, TRANSMISSIONS, TIRES, PUMPS, GENERATORS, LIGHT SETS, COMPRESSORS. TOTAL VALUE RECEIVED $5,293,794. WE PLACED 40 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WORTH $2,589,901 TO FIRE DEPARTMENTS THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT WAS PUT INTO SERVICE WITH THE DNR 5 TRUCKS, 5 TRAILERS 17 PIECES OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT, 7 GENERATORS, 21 ATV’S. TOTAL VALUE OF EQUIPMENT PUT IN SERVICE $1,586,540 18 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WERE RETURNED TO THE DNR BY FIRE DEPARTMENTS 109 VFD’s RECEIVED VFA GRANTS FOR A TOTAL OF $300,823. Jack Schultz

R 1030-E (Rev. 05/26/1998)

Forest Fire Experiment Station (FFES) Production Report 2016

The main production efforts this year were centered about addressing field staff needs and products created to make their dangerous jobs safer and more efficient. A complete listing of products that the FFES created follows below:

Small water units: • (8) steel rooftops for Polaris Ranger side by side water units • (2) 55 gallon water slip in units were assembled for Polaris Ranger side by side water units • (3) Latch-N-Load systems were ordered and deployed to the field staff for trial

Medium Water Units:

• An aluminum fabricated flatbed (a first for the FFES) has been designed and built for placement on the Alpena 55 unit o Technology enhancements include a full LED type lighting for the fire package

Large Water Units:

• (1) International 4900, 1080 gallon water unit was created/tested and deployed to the field o Technology enhancements included a Zolatone coating inside storage compartments

Tractor Plows:

• (1) John Deere 550K tractor was outfitted with a Michigan Fire-line plow and deployed to the field

Marsh Master Unit: • The Lower Peninsula’s Marsh Master unit was outfitted with:

o An aggressive aluminum skin for slip resistance while walking/standing on the deck of the unit o Flamethrower torch cradles were installed on the guardrails that border the walking surface o A removable panel was created to increase the working area on the rear of the machine and to protect

staff from accidental slip and falls o A section of removable guardrail was added to the existing structure to protect staff from accidental slip

and falls o A bottle-jack type lifting apparatus was designed to help the field staff lift the side of the Marsh Master

to facilitate invasive species cleanout and to assist them with track tensioning adjustments o A specialized “Heavy Duty” flamethrower torch was designed to give the Marsh Master operators

extended reach and provide more rigidity in the torch wand

Forest Health Projects: • (2) Vibratory blades were created and made ready for field use • (4) Vibratory blades were refurbished after being damaged and made ready for field use

General FFES Projects:

• A new LED type emergency beacon was identified & tested and is now being implemented on medium and large water units.

• (6) Aluminum foam tanks were produced to meet demand for future water units • Front tow hooks were installed on Mio’s 57 unit • WASP inventory control software has been installed and populated on (1) FFES workstation

Annual Report Roscommon Equipment Center

2016

Introduction Now in its 46th year the Roscommon Equipment Center Programs (REC) main function is to provide technical assistance related to fire suppression equipment to state wildfire agencies and rural fire departments. With the support of the state wildfire agencies and the National Association of State Foresters the REC program will continue to provide that assistance.

During this year, work continued on current projects and several new projects were ranked for order of completion. See the Project Progress section below.

Administration

REC Steering Committee

This committee did not meet during 2016.

REC Project Committee

The 2016 Project Committee did not meet during FY16. Project Committee members were notified that Paul Kollmeyer has retired and has been replaced by Jim Fisher.

Project Progress

Operator Protection for Equipment Operators

This is an ongoing project started in 2004. REC is assisting the US Forest Service with this project. REC staff has also participated in a number of live burn field tests conducted for the project. The final reports regarding this testing are still awaiting policy review by the Department of Agriculture and will not be officially released until the review is completed.

Jet Fuel Tanker Conversion

This project has been completed, Florida Division of Forestry has received the completed vehicle and the report has been posted on the Roscommon Equipment Center website as Project #72, Oshkosh R11 Conversion.

Project proposals

REC staff solicited project proposals last year through e-mail requests, website communication and by attending several fire community meetings both as a presenter of the REC program as well as in a vendor type capacity. REC received several new project proposals which have been reviewed by the REC Project committee and are ranked in order of importance as follows:

• OSHKOSH R11 Water Tender Conversion - COMPLETED

Ranked New Projects:

1. M1078 & M1083 FMTV (First new REC Priority)

a. Project intent is to assess the suitability of these vehicles as water tenders b. MI DNR is aware of the design problems presented by using this type of “cab-over” design as an engine

and its maneuverability through a wild-land setting c. REC Administrator & the State of Michigan are seeking a suitable vehicle to use for a prototype.

2. M915 Freightliner conversion to a straight-bed transport unit for hauling Crawler Tractors (Second REC Priority)

a. To assess the suitability of extending the frame of a Military M-915(Freightliner), and installing a dove tail type flatbed for use as a safe and effective dozer transport.

b. Michigan DNR is currently engaged with this project. c. (2) Prototypes have been built by 2 separate contract manufacturers. d. These 2 prototypes will be jointly tested by REC & Michigan Fire staff

3. M915 & M916 Freightliner conversion to water tankers (Third REC Priority)

a. To assess the suitability of converting the M-915 & M916 Freightliner’s to water tankers for VFD use and determine a suitable design for a tank and maximum gallons that can be safely transported.

Communications

REC Equipment Workshop

The 2016 REC Equipment Workshop was held October 3-7th.

• This year we had 13 attendees representing 8 different states/agencies. A fantastic turnout!

• During the week the attendees learned what services that REC can provide. Each state/agency gave a short

wildland fire equipment presentation specific to them and shared those with the group to learn what other states are doing equipment wise to combat wildfire. The attendees learned about & operated both Michigan and Wisconsin constructed fire equipment on our facilities’ grounds and learned via a “game” we devised what it takes to produce a good quality fire line made with a tractor-plow unit. Each attendee was able to tour the ministry of natural resources in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, their CL-415 hangar and operate a 4 million dollar CL-415 water bomber simulator themselves.

• The 2018 REC workshop will be a “closed session” meaning that normal invitations to the states’ will not be sent. This particular REC workshop will be merged with the Equipment & Technology Committee’s (ETC’s) annual Fall meeting. I will work alongside the current chairperson of the ETC Committee, Mr. Dave Haston to create an outline and agenda for this special workshop.

Mike Lehman, Forestry Equipment Research and Development Center, Tomahawk, Wisconsin attended the workshop and made arrangements to bring to the field day portion of the event: • (1) type 4 engine with trailer, (1) Tractor-plow and (1) tracked vehicle

• Michigan Fire Chief’s & Local VFD’s (chief level personnel) have been invited to annual workshops and will

continue to be. REC staff has been participating as a vendor at their functions to spread the word about REC engineering design assistance that may be a benefit to their organizations.

REC Website

Since the retirement of REC’s draftsman: Donald Pillow, the REC website maintenance duties have been re-assigned to Mrs. Kelsey Block, MI DNR’s Communications Representative.

New Draftsperson:

Mrs. Mary Fry has been hired and has replaced Mr. Donald Pillow as the REC Program’s new draftsperson. Mary brings with her very strong organizational skills, a very positive can-do attitude and several years of drafting experience. Mrs. Fry will be a fantastic addition to our team.

Memberships & Meetings

The REC Administrator is a member of the Equipment & Technology Committee (ETC) (formerly the Fire Equipment Working Team) of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).

The REC Administrator is a member of the US Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Steering Committee. This committee reviews project proposals submitted for the USFS Tech Development Centers.

The REC Administrator attended and completed an REC presentation to the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters on January 5 – 7, 2016 in Boise, Idaho

The REC Administrator attended the Spring ETC meeting that was held in Boise, ID, May 2nd to May 6th.

The REC Administrator attended the NFFS (Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors) annual meeting in Prussia, PA on June 20 to June 24

The REC Administrator hosted and presented the REC program to the REC Equipment Workshop attendee’s that was held October 3 – 7, 2016 in Roscommon, Michigan

Looking Forward The REC work schedule for 2016/2017 will include the continuation of work on already identified projects as budget allows.

The REC Administrator will continue working with the programs associated with NWCG as a member of the Equipment & Technology Committee and related groups or committees.

The REC staff members will continue to participate in Regional and National meetings to present the REC program to firefighting organizations that could benefit from REC design assistance

The 2017 Workshop is tentatively scheduled for October 2-6, 2017