The Forest Service Safety Survey: results from an employee-wide safety attitude survey

Lane, Vanessa R.; Cordell, Ken; Zarnoch, Stanley J.; Green, Gary T.; Poudyal, Neelam C.; Fox, Susan

doi:10.2737/srs-gtr-191

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Over the same period, aviation costs for the USFS averaged $493 million annually or approximately 30% of total USFS wildfire suppression expenditures (Figure 1). The primary suppression fleet composition varied over this time period, between 10 to 30 large airtankers [14,20] accounting for 8% on average of total USFS suppression spending (historically, large airtankers were defined as fixed wing aircraft with minimum capacity of 6814 L (1800 gallons); currently, large airtanker minimum capacity is 11,356 L (3000 gallons)) [21]. Current US fire suppression aircraft descriptions and related images are available at https://www.nifc.gov/resources/aircraft (accessed on 28 July 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is This Flight Necessary? The Aviation Use Summary (AUS): A Framework for Strategic, Risk-Informed Aviation Decision Support

Stonesifer

Calkin

Thompson

et al. 2021

Forests

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Across the globe, aircraft that apply water and suppressants during active wildfires play key roles in wildfire suppression, and these suppression resources can be highly effective. In the United States, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) aircraft account for a substantial portion of firefighting expense and higher fatality rates compared to ground resources. Existing risk management practices that are fundamental to aviation safety (e.g., routinely asking, “Is this flight necessary?”) may not be appropriately scaled from a risk management perspective to ensure that the tactical use of aircraft is in clear alignment with a wildfire’s incident strategy and with broader agency and interagency fire management goals and objectives. To improve strategic risk management of aviation assets in wildfire suppression, we present a framework demonstrating a risk-informed strategic aviation decision support system, the Aviation Use Summary (AUS). This tool utilizes aircraft event tracking data, existing geospatial datasets, and emerging analytics to summarize incident-scale aircraft use and guide decision makers through a strategic risk management process. This information has the potential to enrich the decision space of the decision maker and supports programmatic transparency, enhanced learning, and a broader level of accountability.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is This Flight Necessary? The Aviation Use Summary (AUS): A Framework for Strategic, Risk-Informed Aviation Decision Support

Stonesifer

Calkin

Thompson

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…Safe, effective, and risk-informed response to wildfire is a pillar of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. In recent years, the concept of safe and effective response within federal wildfire management agencies in the US has transitioned from one that is focused largely on individual responsibility (see, for example, the US Forest Service Safety Journey [17]) toward a more corporate risk management approach that incorporates strategic risk assessment, structured decision-making, and accountability [18]. This transition has emerged in part through the recognition that much of the exposure of personnel to the hazards of the wildfire environment is determined at the strategic level, through choices such as which resources to mobilize, when and where to deploy them, and what tasks to accomplish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic Wildfire Response Decision Support and the Risk Management Assistance Program

Calkin

O’Connor

Thompson

et al. 2021

Forests

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In 2016, the USDA Forest Service, the largest wildfire management organization in the world, initiated the risk management assistance (RMA) program to improve the quality of strategic decision-making on its largest and most complex wildfire events. RMA was designed to facilitate a more formal risk management process, including the use of the best available science and emerging research tools, evaluation of alternative strategies, consideration of the likelihood of achieving objectives, and analysis of tradeoffs across a diverse range of incident objectives. RMA engaged personnel from a range of disciplines within the wildfire management system to co-produce actionable science that met the needs of the highly complex incident decision-making environment while aiming to align with best practices in risk assessment, structured decision-making, and technology transfer. Over the four years that RMA has been in practice, the content, structure, and method of information delivery have evolved. Furthermore, the RMA program’s application domain has expanded from merely large incident support to incorporate pre-event assessment and training, post-fire review, organizational change, and system improvement. In this article, we describe the history of the RMA program to date, provide some details and references to the tools delivered, and provide several illustrative examples of RMA in action. We conclude with a discussion of past and ongoing program adaptations and of how this can inform ongoing change efforts and offer thoughts on future directions.

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External drivers of changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices

Cordner

2024

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Background Firefighter safety is a top priority in wildland fire response and management. Existing explanations emphasise how land management agency initiatives to change organisational culture, usually inspired by fatality incidents, contribute to changes both in formal safety policies and informal safety practices. Aims This paper identifies external factors that lead to changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices. Methods This paper uses qualitative data from a long-term ethnographic research project. Data include detailed fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews, and agency documents, which were systematically coded and thematically analysed. Key results In addition to the triggering effects of fatality incidents and agency initiatives to change organisational culture, external factors also directly impact the development of firefighter safety policies and practices. These include sociodemographic, material, political, and social-environmental factors. Conclusions Identifying and understanding the influence of multi-scalar external factors on firefighter safety is essential to improving safety outcomes and reducing firefighters’ exposure to hazards. Implications Attention to and recognition of external factors is valuable for fire managers and practitioners, whose work is influenced and constrained by meso- and macro-level factors. The framework presented in this paper would be useful in understanding other important aspects of wildland fire management.

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The Forest Service Safety Survey: results from an employee-wide safety attitude survey

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Is This Flight Necessary? The Aviation Use Summary (AUS): A Framework for Strategic, Risk-Informed Aviation Decision Support

Is This Flight Necessary? The Aviation Use Summary (AUS): A Framework for Strategic, Risk-Informed Aviation Decision Support

Strategic Wildfire Response Decision Support and the Risk Management Assistance Program

External drivers of changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices

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