U.S. Naval Base Coronado San Clemente Island

1. U.S. Naval Base CoronadoSan Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update December 10, 2012

2. Sound Fire Management = Sustainable Ranges • Military readiness - unconstrained, year round, live fire • Protect personnel • Protect facilities • Legally compliant • Fiscally responsible • Scientifically defensible • Ecologically sustainable • Protect listed species

3. Legal context for fire planning… • 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy • DoD Fire Policy (DoDI 6055.6 December 21, 2006) • Sikes Act Improvement Act and INRMP goals • DoD 4715.03 (2011) Natural Res. Conservation Program • All DoD Components shall manage fuel loads, provide adequate planning for wildland fire management and implement prescribed burn programs where appropriate. This management shall reduce the potential for wildfires, function as an ecosystem-based management tool, integrate applicable State and local permit and reporting requirements, and be consistent with DoDI 6055.06 and the current Environmental Protection Agency Memorandum (“Interim Air Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires,” April 23, 1998).

4. Legal context for fire planning… • Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST) 11320.23F “Fire Bill” establishes policies, standards, guidance, and responsibilities focusing on structural fire protection and other emergency response. • Intraservice Support Agreement between Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island and Commander, Naval Base San Diego to provide a Federal Fire Department at SCI, Naval Air Station North Island, Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape School, Warner Springs. • Letter of Agreement between the Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station North Island, and Commander, Helicopter Wing Reserve regarding scheduling and procedures to support airborne firefighting requirements of SCI.

5. Legal context for fire planning… • Interagency Fire Agreement (IA-5-92-02-005) and Operating Plan between Commander, Naval Base San Diego for the Federal Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service Cleveland National Forest for mutual aid. • Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island INST3502.1A (19 November 1991) Brush/Grass Firefighter Training for SCI Personnel. This Instruction established a program for training personnel to be placed on a roster to augment Fire Department capability to fight grass and brush fires on SCI. • Draft of Commander, NSWG-1 INST 3550.5 (5 January 2001) for Littoral Warfare Training Facility Fire Management Plan. • NBC Memo – CAPT Mayes and use of aerial assets for water dropping outside of Impact Areas and RAAs.

6. Fire Plan Design Principles… • Maximum flexibility for training....no restrictions • Avoid Take of T/E species • Protect values within framework of INRMP and SoCal EIS • 5-year planning horizon • Sound risk management means expending money at levels appropriate to values at risk • Pre-suppression Costs + Actual Suppression Cost <= Resource Value Lost • Avoid unsustainable natural resource condition

7. Planning Assumptions • Worse-than-average fire scenario but not a worst case • 3-minute notification of first fire observation • 15-minute getaway for ground assets from first notification • 30-minute on-site response for ignitions that leave Impact Area fuelbreaks • SHOBA unsafe for ground suppression. • Commitment to baseline habitat conditions and management focus species for long-term sustainability

8. Core Strategy • Assign values to what is at risk: military readiness and natural resources • Resources at Risk: military training capability, schedule, tempo. • Resources at Risk: Natural resources vulnerability assessment – ranking of what to protect and how

11. Core Strategy… • Develop ecosystem and historical context to set management objectives

12. Core Strategy • Target level of ecosystem and habitat condition and protection of sensitive species • Fire size • Fire return interval • Fire severity

13. Objective (desired future condition):grassland

14. Desired future condition: boxthorn

15. Fire Scenario Development

16. Core Strategy • Establish land management units

17. Core Strategy – Prevention Prevention means aligning fire ignition risk with fuel hazard condition…this is the implementation of fire season protocols and the fire danger rating system

18. Core Strategy – Prevention Determination of Fire Season • Current: live fuel moisture collection by NRO contractor. 3 fuel species, 200% threshold • Consider for WFMP Update: 150% threshold

21. Wildfire Fire Management Systems • National Fire Danger Rating System • Wildland Fire Behavior Systems

22. 1. National Fire Danger Rating System • Fire Danger Ratings are based upon large (1,000 acres plus) areas and predict what a wildfire will do if one should happen to start.

23. National Fire Danger Rating System • Fire Danger Ratings are based upon large (1,000 acres plus) areas and predict what a wildfire will do if one should happen to start. • Fire weather recordings are taken daily during the fire season at 1300 hours from established Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS)

24. Fire Danger Ratings expressed as adjective ratings or color codes. • Five color codes are usually the norm; however, three color codes could be used at San Clemente Island.

25. 2. Wildland Fire Behavior Systems • Predicts the anticipated minute by minute fire behavior of an existing fire burning in a predetermined fuel model (grass, shrubs or trees).

26. Wildland Fire Behavior Systems • Predicts the anticipated minute by minute fire behavior of an existing fire burning in a predetermined fuel model (grass, shrubs or trees). • Fire behavior increases or decreases with changes of wind speed, fuel model, live and dead fuel moistures, slope, temperature and relative humidity.

27. Fire Behavior System Modeling should not be used to determine Fire Danger Rating.

28. Firebreaks vs Fuelbreaks • Firebreaks are those areas scraped to bare mineral soil.

29. Firebreaks vs Fuelbreaks • Firebreaks are those areas scraped to bare mineral soil. • Paved or dirt roads, tank access roads and other mechanical means at least 10-foot wide.

30. Firebreaks vs Fuelbreaks • Fuelbreaks are areas where the vegetative fuels have been modified by cutting, weed whipping, mowing or use of fire retardant chemicals. • They are usually 30 to 100 feet in width (depending on fuel model) and applied around structures, along roads and inaccessible areas to personnel and equipment.

31. Daily or Hourly FDRS via internet based on humidity (fine fuel moisture), wind speed • FFD can call the daily FDRS and distribute over web • FDRS weekly forecasts • Fire season declared by OIC at 200% live fuel moisture as determined by FFD

32. In all cases, the initial response will be to take immediate action to suppress the fire (if deemed safe) and call the Fire Department. Federal Fire and the Range Safety Officer will jointly decide if it is safe for the exercise to continue or be postponed until after an incident.

33. Core Strategy – fuels management and fuelbreaks • High-intensity safety corridors or buffers where fuels are reduced • Defensible space around structures • Low-intensity landscape modification with prescribed fire that also meets ecological restoration objectives

35. Project Footprint – fuels management

36. Core Strategy…improved firefighting infrastructure • Electronic communications capable of rapid notification of any fire or any life & safety incident on SCI. • Road network…certain roads must remain passable for firefighting and also function as a firebreak. • Future use of an airfield at VC-3 • Water staging during fire season

37. Core Strategy – rapid attack suppression • Aerial assets - Private helicopter or HC-85 • Ground assets - Enhanced ground response asset - Access to seasonal Strike Team • Annual risk analysis

38. Off-Island Firefighting Resources • Navy Helicopter Sea Combat squadrons HSC-21 and HSC-3 • MCBCP and San Diego FedFire Engines • Navy LCAC at MCBCP (transportation only)

39. Navy HSC-21 & HSC-3 • Already have working agreements and training for mainland fires by CalFire. • Are they available for SCI?

40. Core Strategy…Success Targets • A change in management is expected when it is clear success targets are not achieved. • They relate to desired future conditions. Possible adjustments: • Add fuelbreaks or use retardant • Pre-position a fire truck or helicopter • Fuels management by prescribed burning • Restrict incendiary activities

41. Core Strategy – conservation agreement with a “resource bank” approach • As conditions improve for the land and species which are the focus of natural resource management, the risk of harming them from a fire incident or regime change lessens. Therefore, fire management can be adjusted accordingly. • The expense of fire management can be adjusted for changing vulnerabilities.

42. Core Strategy…reporting/monitoring to adapt • Fire perimeter • Ignition source • Fire intensity • Effects on listed species • Annual review • 5-year update

43. Implementation Mechanisms Improved human resource capacity • Wildland Fire Coordinator position at Federal Fire Department. • WFC to train military and civilian personnel for Rapid Fire Response Team, including manning of quick-attack asset • Training needed for WFC • Backup support crew for prescribed fire.

44. Implementation Mechanisms • Recommended an Island-wide Fire Management Instruction to augment SCORE range users manual • SCI Wildland Fire Coordinating Group • Department of Navy Wildland Fire Coordinating Group

45. Responsibilities • Public Safety - communications system upgrade • PWC - road maintenance • Federal Fire - WFC, support crew, seasonal rapid-response team, WFCG, computer system upgrade, Fire Instruction update, post-fire reporting; Education, training of WFC and support staff; RAWS weather station maintenance • Federal Fire (or individual military units, as appropriate) - quick-attack asset

46. Responsibilities, cont. • NRO - Prescribed fire program, WFMP review and updates; education; private helicopter; fire perimeter mapping; effects monitoring • SCI OIC - SCI WFCG, staffing needs review, fire season announcement, sign burn plans, annual fire plan review • SCORE - fire ignition source reporting, report impacts to schedule, SHOBA fuelbreak installation, RAWS weather station support

47. The current Fire Plan is in need of a revision… • SOCAL Range Complex EIS and Biological Opinion. New locations and types of ordnance use, such as central island ranges for SPECWAR. • Policy on restricting aerial suppression needs considering in Restricted Access Areas (RAAs) (those locations requiring an escort for unexploded ordnance) or Impact Areas. The potential to use a fixed-wing aircraft on standby on the mainland is an option currently being discussed. • Not all roads meet the standards described in the current WFMP to function for firefighting access, such as staging for backburning, or as a component of a fuelbreak system. A reevaluation of road standards and maintenance, best practice avoidance and minimization measures for impacts, and NEPA compliance is needed. • As vegetation recovery occurs, the acreages of certain habitats important to listed species may expand into previously unused areas. The updated WFMP should quantify habitat take in terms of a percentage of habitat instead of a fixed number of acres. Reward better natural resource conditions.

48. The current Fire Plan is in need of a revision… • The best means of installing fuelbreaks with retardant needs cost-benefit analysis. • The ideal time to install fuel retardant needs review. Based on conditions of previous years, installation is preferred between 5/1-5/21. Precautions are necessary because the retardant becomes ineffective after about one inch of rain. Fuelbreak installation should occur before or after fire season is declared, as long as conditions at the time of installation are acceptable. • Reporting procedures need to be revisited. Adaptive management has been hampered by inadequate post-fire reporting. Declaring fire season start/end. FDRS announcements. • The revised WFMP should prioritize buildings to be saved in case of a fire. Salty Crab. Arizone cages. • There has been an increase in canyon fires since the WFMP was written.

49. The current Fire Plan is in need of a revision… • The Fire Danger Rating System should be updated. Adjustments are needed in how the FDRS is implemented. Adjust by island zones. Incorporation of 10-hour fuels. • The placement of Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) needs to be reviewed, and the protocols for recording data and applying it to fire danger prediction. • The Blow-In-Place method of removing UXO has been known to spark fires and should be evaluated for reducing this potential.

50. The current Fire Plan is in need of a revision… • Alternative aircraft for suppression and prescribed fire use. LCAC possibilities for backup. • Short staffing at FedFire. Use of military vs. civilian. Training in wildland fire response, wildland fire coordination. Mutual aid support. • Fire history/ignitions update • Progress made on communications • Difficulties with implementation – expected versus on-the-ground. Integration with Range Control. • Difficulties with funding some WFMP requirements. • Question all underlying assumptions.