 Inside a
wildfire Incident
Command Unit
What goes on behind the scenes
of a major fire like the Robert? A whole lot! Take a
tour of the Robert Fire Incident Command Post, and see
what it takes to fight large scale wildland fires.
It's like entering a mini city. Once past the security
gates, the field that houses the ICP for the Robert fire
unfolds in all directions. Helicopters, tents, trailers
and trucks all share the grassy valley floor, and
activity is everywhere.
Nancy Stimson, a Type 1 Team Information Officer, meets
us at the information trailer, the place where fire
updates are readily available to both those working the
fires and the public. She has come from Alaska with one
of the the Type 1 Teams currently fighting the Robert
fire.
Currently there are firefighters from all over the
country sharing tent space and battling the Robert's
flames. They come from such places as Arizona, New
Mexico, and Montana.
Nancy tells us that crew members have 14 day tours
(occasionally 21), during which time they sleep in
tents, read world news off a central board, and shower
in a tractor trailer truck. Their days start between
7:30 and 8:00 in the morning, and they don't return to
camp until 9:00 at night.
Run in a similar manner to a military MASH camp, the
bulk of the people and equipment at the ICP are support.
Highly organized and efficient, the camp has a wide
variety of mobile facilities including:
- Sign In Center:
When firefighters first arrive they sign in to
notify the camp of their arrival and ensure they are on
the record to receive their paycheck.
- Information Center:
The place at camp to find out the current
status of the fire and resources. Members of the press
contact Information Center staff for updates.
- Planning Center:
Assignment of resources and staff, with detailed
planning of work assignments for each division.
- Fire Behavior Analysis:
A group of staff members do weather and fire behavior
prediction for the following 24 hours.
 -
Human Resources:
Very similar to most human resource departments, this HR
allows gets word out to crew members in the field if
needed.
- Training Specialist:
according to Nancy, most incidents don't have a
Training Specialist, but given the highly complex nature
of the Robert fire, this incident is an exception. On
the job training.
- Radio Cloning:
since firefighters arrive from all over the country,
their radio frequencies may not coincide with those
being used on the Robert. Here they can have their radio
cloned in order to communicate with others while working
this particular fire.
- Helipad and Helicopter Base:
all helicopters for the Robert Fire are based
here, currently totaling about eight.
- Medical Tents: to
assist staff and crews with items such as bites, stings
and minor injuries.
- Mess Hall: complete with a portable kitchen and was
area, the Mess Hall serves breakfast and dinner each
day.
- Information Board:
While many people are looking in at the Robert fire from
the rest of the world, many crew members are looking
out, wondering what's happening elsewhere. An
Information and Safety Board is set up on the way to the
Mess Hall, and is filled with everything from baseball
scores to what to look for in certain insect bites.
- Commissary: Staff
can buy personal items at this general store.
- Showers: Showers
are available each day from 6am to 11:30pm. Like
everything else in the camp, the showers are portable.
- Laundry Service:
camp staff can drop off their laundry in the morning and
pick it up that same evening.
Always conscientious of their impact on the environment,
when the crews leave this field they will scour the area
for trash and do some re-vegetation work. They advocate
the use of
Leave No Trace ethics.
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