2012 ISSUE 8 AUGUST 24, 2012

Dispatch Developments by Erin Catherall, FIO

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In this Issue:

Dispatch Duties for Coastal

Safety Check-ins

At Coastal

Page 1

From plotting coordinates on a map by hand to

advanced technology that records real-time

information, dispatch (a standardized resource

tracking system) has significantly evolved over

the years. Today, the Wildfire Management

Branch’s (WMB) dispatch software is an

internationally recognized

program, one which continues

to break ground in emergency

management communications.

In 1994, the Forests

Ministry undertook a general

reorganization of the structure

and management of WMB.

T h i s i n c l u d e d t h e

centralization of the airtanker

program to allow for a more

streamlined management

process. During this time of

r e o r g a n i z a t i o n , W M B

recognized the need for a new

dispatch system in order to

effectively track wildfires and

resources throughout the

province.

F M A D ( F o r e s t s ,

Management, Analysis and Design) approached

WMB in 1994 with the opportunity to experiment

with real-time tracking. FMAD suggested using

mountain top repeaters and sophisticated

technology (micro meteor-burst technology) in

aircraft to send position reports to a computer-

based map. At the time, wildfire dispatch

consisted of tracking resources by hand through

the use of maps, string, and calculated

coordinates. This proposal was an exciting

opportunity for WMB.

In 1997, WMB experimented with combining

satellite radios and position data in aircrafts. By

merging these two systems into one, airnet radio

data was significantly reduced and mountain top

repeater networks were no longer needed.

WMB partnered with the US Forest Service in

1998 to develop an automated flight following

(AFF) standard. This standard set out specific

guidelines for packet data transmission for

aircraft. In 2008, it became mandatory that all

aircraft hired by WMB needed to be equipped

with a tracking device that meets the AFF

specifications.

The AFF tracking device now automatically

records location, altitude, course, and speed of an

aircraft. This information is provided to

dispatchers, aviation managers, and other wildfire

professionals in real time.

The development of the AFF standard has

proven to be very beneficial for WMB. Not only

does this standard improve resource awareness,

save money, and reduce radio traffic and check-in

times, AFF greatly enhances safety.

Over the years, WMB’s dispatch program has

evolved into a state-of-the-art system. Not only

does dispatch provide real-time information on

aircraft, resource and wildfire locations, it has the

capability to overlay weather station information

to indicate areas at risk of wildfire.

WMB’s dispatch program is now used in

Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest

Territories, the Yukon, Alaska and some areas of

the United States. Australia has also expressed

interest in developing a system similar to

WMB’s.

While WMB has made great strides with the

development of dispatch, it is still important to

continue improving the system. In order to better

wildfire emergency communications, it is

essential to keep moving forward and embrace

innovative technological advancements.

(3) If, except in the prescribed

circumstances referred to in section 5 (1) or

subsection (1) of this section, a fire starts at,

or within 1 km of, the site of the industrial

activity, the person carrying out the industrial

activity must

(a) immediately carry out fire control

and extinguish the fire, if practicable,

(b) continue with fire control for the

fire until

(i) the fire is extinguished, (ii) it

becomes impracticable to continue

with fire control, or (iii) an official

relieves the person in writing from

continuing

(c) as soon as practicable, report the

fire as described in section 2, and

(d) in accordance with prescribed

requirements, rehabilitate the land

damaged by fire control carried out

by the person.

Dispatch Duties for Coastal

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Page 2

aircraft are aware of the incoming aircraft.

One of the more difficult tasks for a dispatcher is

dealing with fire-related injuries. In an emergency,

dispatchers may assist by calling for an ambulance,

police, or search and rescue personnel. They also work

with Emergency Management British Columbia

(EMBC) as required.

Dispatchers are kept busy even when fire activity

levels are low. Filing, updating data and tracking re-

sources before and after the main fire season are all

part of a dispatcher’s job. Logging new information

and updating data in the Open Fire Tracking System is

an important part of that work. When someone reports

a fire, dispatchers can quickly check whether the

smoke is from a wildfire or from a fire that is part of a

land improvement or fuel abatement project.

Dispatchers play an instrumental role in firefighting,

even though their work is rarely seen by the public.

The dispatcher is the primary link between operations

staff and firefighters in the field. As much as fire-

fighting is still about having “boots on the ground”,

clear communication is essential to carry out a solid,

well-choreographed operation.

Industrial Activities According to the Wildfire Act If an industrial operator lights a fire to

reduce forest fuel levels, the fire centre may

receive a call from the public to report a fire.

Dispatchers use the caller’s information to

check if the fire is a legitimate industrial

activity, conducted with an open fire

registration number.

Industrial activities are covered in Part 1,

Section 6 of the Wildfire Act:

(1) Except in prescribed circumstances, a

person carrying out an industrial activity

must not light, fuel or use an open fire in

forest land or grass land or within 1 km of

forest land or grass land.

(2) A person who carries out an industrial

activity must do so

(a) at a time, and (b) in a manner

that can reasonably be expected to prevent

fires from starting because of the industrial

activity.

Dispatchers working in the Coastal Fire Centre are,

by nature, multi-taskers par excellence. They can be

incessantly bombarded by sights, sounds, distractions,

questions, radio calls, phone calls and e-mails as infor-

mation floods into the dispatch room.

However, dispatchers have processes in place that

allow them to receive a smoke or fire report, page

crews and officers to an incident, compile updates and

receive requests for firefighting resources — all while

passing along key pieces of information and inputting

data into the Personnel Resource Tracking system.

While collecting pertinent data about a fire by

phone or radio, the dispatcher also checks to confirm

the jurisdiction where the fire is burning. It may be in a

park (federal or provincial), a local fire department’s

jurisdiction, on Crown land, in a watershed or a myriad

of other possibilities. The dispatcher needs this infor-

mation to determine if the fire response is the sole re-

sponsibility of the Coastal Fire Centre or if other agen-

cies need to be contacted to co-ordinate a response.

If it’s a forest fire, the dispatcher checks for hazards

or landmarks and determines what resources may be in

the area, including aircraft. If a plane is sent in, the

dispatcher is responsible for making sure that all other

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The Dispatch Room

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To report a Wildfire call

1.800.663.5555 Or *5555 on your cell

The role of a Coastal Fire Centre dispatcher is multi-

layered and multi-faceted, but one key responsibility is

to track (for the purposes of safety) all Wildfire

Management Branch personnel working in the region.

Recently, however, dispatchers added a new level of

responsibility to their jobs. They participated in a pilot

project that would have the Coastal Fire Centre keep

track of all of ministry employees working in the field.

The program is referred to as “Safety Monitoring and

Aircraft Procurement”.

The goal is to create a provincial standard for this

type of system, have the Wildfire Management Branch

deliver the service consistently, and determine staffing

levels needed for the program. The pilot project has

been approved and all regional staff who work in the

field are now required to submit a planned route and

then check in with the dispatch desk at designated times

throughout the day.

The importance of this program cannot be

understated. Imagine the number of kilometres that

government workers log in a year. Having someone at

the other end of a phone or radio (in case of an accident,

breakdown or any other issue) provides a safety net and

helps create a safer work environment for staff.

So how does the process work?

Field staff complete an itinerary and submit a flight

plan (if flying into a work site). A map with the planned

route and destination are also submitted, along with a

list of emergency contact names and numbers. GPS co-

ordinates, if available, can also be included in the

itinerary.

Staff members then check

in at pre-set intervals,

determined by their activity

risk level for that day. If a

check-in is missed, the

dispatcher will call the

worker.

Occasionally, staff simply

get caught up in their work

and forget to check in. A call

from a dispatcher will

remedy that error and the

staff member will be

reminded when the next

check-in is due.

If dispatchers cannot contact the staff member, they

will follow pre-set “overdue” procedures. Again, staff

may have just left their phone in a vehicle or stepped

away from a vehicle radio, but the dispatcher will

continue trying to make contact.

There are many advantages to this new program:

dispatchers are well-trained to handle any emergency

situation; a fire centre already has the infrastructure and

technology in place to handle this type of work; and

longer summer operating hours for fire centres mean that

field staff can complete more tasks before they need to

return to the office. Along with check-ins for field staff

using trucks, fire centre dispatchers also have the ability

to track boats and aircraft.

The key goal of this program is to safeguard the well-

being of all staff.

Safety Check-ins

Weather

The weather system that moved through the Coastal

Fire Centre on August 18 and August 19, 2012 carried

enough convective activity to start thirty-one fires. Of

those thirty-one starts there are now as of August 22, 20

in patrol, 5 declared out, 1 is being mopped up, 3 are

being managed as modified response fires, 1 is an initial

attack target and 1 is currently considered an Expanded

Attack fires.

Modified Response Fires:

Birkenhead (V30416)

Location: 12 kilometres NW of Birkenhead Lake. This

fire is in the Qwalimak/Upper Birkenhead Conservancy

which abuts the Birkenhead Lake Park.

Size: 40 hectares

In consultation with land managers (BC Parks) it was

determined that this fire should be allowed to reach

specific trigger points and then reassess for the best

course of action. The fire is in very steep, inaccessible

terrain.

Culliton Creek (V30363)

Location: 15 kilometres NE of Squamish in Garibaldi

Park.

Size: 29 hectares scanned

In consultation with land managers (BC Parks) it was

determined that this fire should be allowed to burn to

trigger points and then reassess for the best course of

action. For safety reasons, there is limited ground action

on this fire. The fire is in very steep terrain.

Wolf River (V80481)

Location: 40 kilometres southwest of Campbell River.

This fire is in Strathcona Park.

Size: .2 hectare

Trigger points have been established in consultation with

land managers and the fire will be monitored. This fire is

in steep terrain.

Expanded Attack Fire:

North of Egmont (V50395)

Location: Between Perketts Creek and Treat Creek

Drainages off Jervis Inlet.

Size: 10 hectares

Resources: 32 firefighters, 1 Type II Incident

Management Team, 4 helis

Not an Interface fire.

Containment: 100%

At Coastal

SYNOPSIS (today and tomorrow): A moist

onshore flow maintains mainly cloudy skies and a

chance of light rain over Haida Gwaii and parts of

the Mid Coast and North Island today while a

weak upper ridge brings sunnier skies and warmer

temperatures to areas to the south. As the weak

upper ridge brings a slight increase in stability

over the region, winds are expected to ease

slightly from yesterday, although areas near the

water and at mid-upper elevations should still see

gusts into the mid twenties. The next upper low

and associated frontal system drops southward off

the coast of Vancouver Island on Saturday,

positioning the fire centre in a mild southerly

flow. Temperatures should rebound to or above

seasonal normals on Saturday with sunnier skies

for the southern zones, increasing cloud towards

the north (North Island, Mid Coast & Haida

Gwaii).

OUTLOOK (days 3-5): The upper low and

associated frontal system advances slowly

eastward on Sunday bringing cloudy skies and an

increasing chance of showers to Vancouver Island

(especially western sections). Patchy subtropical

moisture could become entrained in the southerly

flow on Sunday, introducing a risk of isolated

showers or thundershowers mainly to the Fraser

zone. Temperatures in most areas remain similar to

Saturday (low to mid twenties for daytime highs).

The upper trough finally advances inland on

Monday bringing scattered showers (risk of

thundershowers) and cooler temperatures that

should linger into Tuesday.

6 TO 10 DAY: A cool northwesterly flow should

prevail over the region Wednesday and Thursday

between the upper trough exiting to the east and a

Pacific ridge to the west. Temperatures may slowly

creep up to seasonal normals by Thursday before

likely exceeding them Friday and into the weekend

if the Pacific ridge continues to drift inland. A day

or two of light to moderate outflow winds is

possible with the approach of the large upper

ridge. Meanwhile, the models continue to show a

small upper low offshore as the upper ridge builds

over the region, allowing for a risk of subtropical

moisture approaching from the south.

To Date in

Coastal

Fires to Date

Person Caused 74

Lighting Caused 83

Total Number of Fires

157

Hectares burnt 112

Number of Incidents Responded to

492

Fire Danger Rating

As of August 24, 2012

See detailed weather Forecast.

Page 4

To report a Wildfire call

1.800.663.5555 Or *5555 on

your cell