Cohesive Wildland Fire Management StrategyNortheast Region

Resilient Landscapes - Fire-Adapted Communities - Safe and Effective Wildfire Response

The Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC) provides executive leadership, coordination, and guidance to carry out the Northeast Regional Action Plan while providing a forum for members to guide strategic direction for fire and land management activities. The NE RSC continues to collaboratively recognize, support, and help with National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals and implementation efforts.

NE RSC Chair: Brad Simpkins, New Hampshire State Forester

In This IssueQuick Links

New Hampshire Firefighters Honor 19 Who Died in Arizona Wildfires

RX-301 Prescribed Fire Burn Plan Implementation Course

New Jersey's Mercer County Soil Conservation District Selected as a 2014 Fire Learning

July 2014

New Hampshire Firefighters Honor 19 Who Died in Arizona Wildfires

Colleagues say tragedy in Yarnell Hill resonates

Network Hub Organization

Fire Adapted Communities and Fire Learning Networks Meet

Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact Holds Wildfire Training Academy

Minnesota Wildfire Academy Held in Grand Rapids, MN

Northeast State Forest Fire Supervisors meet in Two Harbors, MN

Training Opportunities

Personnel News

Northeast Region Cohesive Strategy Key Contacts:

Brad SimpkinsChairNH Division of Forests and Lands172 Pembroke RoadP.O. Box 1856Concord, NH 03302-1856

Maureen BrooksCommunications Working Group LeadU.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area S&PF

Terry GallagherTechnical Working

CONCORD, N.H. -- Firefighters in New Hampshire paid tribute Monday to 19 of their colleagues who lost their lives a year ago in Arizona wildfires. Firefighters said they didn't know the fallen heroes but felt a connection and wanted to honor their sacrifice. Many of the men and women have fought fires in the west, some going to locations near Yarnell Hill in Arizona. Read more.

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RX-301 Prescribed Fire Burn Plan Implementation Course

Group LeadU.S. Forest Service, Eastern Region

Larry MasticCoordinator, NE RegionCohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

Tell us about it!Does your agency, organization, or community have a project or event you'd like to see featured in the NE RSC News Update? Just contactLarry Mastic.

Quick LinksCohesive Strategy

Fire Adapted Communities Coalition

Dovetail Partners June 17 to 19 was a busy week for personnel of multiple agencies who took a course in one classroom in Oscoda, MI. Fire experts that taught the course tailored a curriculum from the National Wildfire Coordination Group's RX-301 Prescribed Fire Burn Plan Implementation course to meet the needs of multiple agencies within Michigan. Students and instructors represented the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Defense, USDA Office of General Counsel, and the Lake States Fire Science Consortium.

June 17 to 19 was a busy week for personnel of multiple agencies who took a course in one classroom in Oscoda, MI. Fire experts that taught the course tailored a

curriculum from the National Wildfire Coordination Group's RX-301 Prescribed Fire Burn Plan Implementation course to meet the needs of multiple agencies within Michigan. Students and instructors represented the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Defense, USDA Office of General Counsel, and the Lake States Fire Science Consortium.

Students worked in interagency groups while being introduced to multiple topics ranging from agency policies, line officer requirements, and monitoring to conversions to wildfires and technical accuracy of burn plans. Students also got hands-on experience with prescribed fire plans from the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan DNR, and The Nature Conservancy.

In addition to classroom work, the instructors and students examined and discussed two different fuel breaks in the field-one recently created by the Michigan DNR and a second created by the U.S. Forest Service that was treated with multiple prescribed fire entries. Field trip participants also viewed and discussed the Huron-Manistee's successful broadcast burning effort with a red pine (Pinus resinosa) overstory.

Both students and instructors learned a lot and considered the 3 days a success. Plans are being made for more classes that use an interagency approach.

Contributed by Chris Peterson, USFS, R9 Huron-Manistee National Forest

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New Jersey's Mercer County Soil Conservation District Selected as a 2014 Fire Learning Network Hub Organization

The Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Learning Network encourages the development and sharing of best practices and innovations to accelerate the adoption of fire-adapted community concepts nationwide. The network supports hub organizations and pilot communities across the United States that have committed to carrying out, assessing, and sharing the work they are doing to increase their communities' resilience to wildfire. The Watershed Research and Training Center and The Nature Conservancy manage the network.

Soil Conservation Districts have a long history of working with Federal, State, county, and local partners to help solve natural resource problems. During the last 5 years, the Mercer County Soil Conservation District in New Jersey has embarked on a new initiative in cooperation with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to create Community Wildfire Protection Plans. This process has achieved collaboration at many levels of government and engaged 45 municipalities. Among them is Barnegat Township, a growing rural community that has consistently addressed and supported wildfire-related issues through programs such as Firewise and Ready, Set, Go! Barnegat is creating an FAC-oriented model for wildfire preparedness.

The Mercer County Soil Conservation District will continue supporting Barnegat's efforts. They will also be exploring how other municipalities can adopt this type of approach to becoming fire-adapted communities. Click here for more information.

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Fire Adapted Communities and Fire Learning Networks Meet

The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network and the Fire Learning Network recently held a national workshop in Colorado Springs to share ideas and build connections across networks. Download a report and read about the workshop in "Notes From the Field."

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Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact Holds Wildfire Training AcademyWest Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, hosted the eighth annual Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy June 7-13. The academy was presented by the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact, West Virginia University Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service. Over 200 people attended 11 classes essential to wildland firefighting that included fire behavior, equipment use, and leadership development.

Source: THE CHIEF'S DESK PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS, June 13, 2014

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Minnesota Wildfire Academy Held in Grand Rapids, MNThe 14th annual Minnesota Wildland Fire Academy was held June 2-6, 2014, at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, MN. The Minnesota Incident Command System sponsored the academy with partners that included the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Park

Service, along with Advanced Minnesota, a cooperative of northeast Minnesota community colleges.

Twenty-six courses were offered in operations, plans, and logistics as well as dispatch, leadership, and emergency vehicle operations. Enrollment at the academy has increased steadily over the years with a record 678 student registrations in 2014. Most students were drawn from the Lake States region, although others traveled from as far away as Alaska, Florida, Arizona, and Washington, DC.

The academy was considered a success. Many students are now ready to take on new roles and responsibilities in fire suppression and prescribed fire around the country. Plans are already being made for the next academy, scheduled for June 1-5, 2015.

By Doug Miedtke, Minnesota Interagency Fire Center

Source: Lake States Fire Science Consortium June 2014 Newsletter

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Northeast State Forest Fire Supervisors Meet in Two Harbors, MN

Minnesota State Forester Forrest Boe

The 20 Northeast State Fire Supervisors met with key partners and vendors during the week of June 26 on the chilly shores of Lake Superior in Two Harbors, MN, for their annual coordination meeting. The theme of the meeting was "Wildland Fire Safety on the 20th Anniversary of Storm King/Smokey's 70th Anniversary." Read more.

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Training OpportunitiesRegional Fire Science Consortia and LANDFIRE WebinarsLANDFIRE and the Joint Fire Science Program are planning a series of Webinars to help land managers and others understand and use data resources when making decisions about large landscape projects. Because the suite of LANDFIRE tools is based in vegetation history and current conditions, the tools can be applied in both fire and nonfire related activities and are particularly suited for running scenarios and considering management plans.Get more information here.

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Personnel News

Matthew Rollins has accepted the position of WO-Research & Development Biological/Physical Scientist in Washington, DC. He is currently a Wildland Fire ScienceCoordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey National Center in Reston, VA. Matt has been a longstanding member of the Northeast Regional Strategy Committee.

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