Wildfire Suppression Accurate and refined data collection is needed - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 1

Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs

Preliminary Report

Wildfire suppression costs are shared with other agencies, consistent with formal agreements.

December 2017 Rebecca Connolly | Zane Kelly | Casey Radostitz

Accurate and refined data collection is needed to improve information about costs and characteristics.

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 2

Study focused on answering Legislature’s questions about fire costs

1 2 3

Agencies Involved, Amount Spent Sharing Wildfire Suppression Costs Collecting Fire Data

Three recommendations Agreements & practice FY 2010-16

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 3

Photo credit: IMT #10

What state agencies are involved?

DNR and the Fire Marshal have different roles and responsibilities for wildfire suppression

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 4

DNR Suppresses Wildfires

6,850 fires (FY 2010-16) Interactive map in report

4,002 false alarms and other incidents

• Direct fire fighting role
• Fire suppression staff and

equipment

• Responsibility delegated

to six regions

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 5

Fire Marshal Coordinates Mobilization

93 mobilizations (FY 2010-16) Interactive map in report

• No direct fire fighting role
• Requested by local fire

agencies, authorized by Chief of State Patrol

• State incurs costs

to h

• help

lp l loc

• cal

l fire re age gencies

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 6

$434 million spent on fire-related activities

(DNR and Fire Marshal, FY 2010-16)

$369 $65 Fire Marshal DNR

Source: Agency Financial Reporting System (AFRS)

Fire Marshal DNR

Most spending is

Contracted Goods & Services

• r Salaries & Benefits

79% 20% 89% 11%

Dollars in millions

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 7

$72 million recouped by state

(FY 2010-16) Source Amount Received

Reimbursement

from federal and state agencies

$34.6 Fire Management Assistance Grants

from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

$34.5 DNR Recoveries

from private parties that negligently start fires

$2.9

Source: Reimbursement and recovery figures provided by DNR, FMAG data provided by the Emergency Management Division (EMD)

Dollars in millions

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 8

Photo credit: IMT #10

Sharing wildfire suppression costs

Wildfire suppression costs are shared with other agencies, consistent with formal agreements

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 9

St State, e, fed ederal, l, and l local agen encie ies w wor

• rk

together t to suppress f fires

Example: Mills Canyon Fire (2014). Photos from NWCG

Initial Response

• Closest available force
• Mutual aid/reciprocal response agreement

DNR l land & nd & resour urces es Federal l land nd & r & resour urces es

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 10

St State, e, fed ederal, l, and l local agen encie ies w wor

• rk

together t to suppress f fires

Example: Mills Canyon Fire (2014). Photos from NWCG

Extended Attack

• DNR, U.S. Forest Service, Fire Marshal Mobilization
• Incident Management Team

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 11 Total

$8.3 M $1.7 M $1.0 M $5.6 M

At the fire

Calculate daily:

Day 1

$240,000 $0 $160,000 $400,000

Day 2

$200,000 $40,000 $210,000 $450,000 DNR Fire Marshal USFS Total cost of resources

Preferred cost sharing approach based on benefit received

Source: Mills Canyon Fire, 2014, Cost share worksheet

Benefit received

(agency share)

And so on

Total Benefit Received

• Master agreement between state & federal agencies

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 12

Amount Paid Difference Total Benefit Received

Preferred cost sharing approach based on benefit received

Source: Mills Canyon Fire, 2014, Cost share worksheet

After the fire

Compare:

• Benefit received
• Amount paid

(directly to staff and contractors)

DNR Fire Marshal USFS $1.7 M $1.0 M $5.6 M $3.0 M $0.8 M $4.5 M

• $1.3 M

$0.2 M $1.1 M

Reimburse difference

If benefit received exceeds amount paid

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 13

Fire Acres Cost Haven Lake 183 $3.2 M Lone Mountain 1 2,770 $3.6 M Tucannon 2,630 $400,000

Acres burned may not be a reliable method for sharing or understanding fire costs

Similar acreage Different costs Different acreage Similar costs

$3.2 M $3.6 M 2,770 2,630

Source: Northwest Interagency Coordination Center Annual Reports 2014 and 2015. Data reflects acreage and estimated costs for all agencies before cost share or reconciliation.

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 14

Many factors cited in national research

Dev evelopmen ent – Ye Yes Housing D Density – Ye Yes Ownership – No No Pr Private Insurance ce – No No

What Influences Fire Cost?

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 15

Photo credit: IMT #10

Collecting fire data

Accurate and refined data collection is needed to improve information about costs and characteristics

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 16

Fire Marshal has records of each of the 93 mobilizations (FY 2010-16)

Basic information

• Cost, location

No system to compile or report details

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 17

DNR’s data

• n fire

characteristics is often incomplete, unused, or unreliable

Characteristic data can be unreliable Over a hundred fields, many incomplete or unused

• Land cover, structures damaged or destroyed
• Some fields incomplete because DNR doesn’t use data

NWCG Data: 165,918 acres DNR Data: 165,885 acres Tunk unk B Block Fi Fire NWCG Data: 2,796 acres DNR Data: 5 acres Paradise F Fire



x

Source: DNR presentation, January 2016. DNR data from its fire database.

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 18

DNR should refine its collection of key data elements and seek input from the appropriate Legislative committees.

Due By: April 2019

Legislative Auditor Recommendation #1

• Identify the key data elements
• Propose data elements to legislative committees
• Review the list on an ongoing basis

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 19

DNR should improve the accuracy and reliability

• f the key data elements it collects.

Due By: December 2019

Legislative Auditor Recommendation #2

• Implement agency-wide policies and procedures

for data entry and validation

• Complete data refinement in Recommendation #1

first

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 20

DNR lacks an efficient way to identify the cost of individual fires

All codes are needed to calculate cost

Compiling them is a manual process

A fire can have more than

• ne code to track costs

The codes are in different databases, spreadsheets, and paper records of the fire

CSG CAI CPC

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 21

DNR should develop a systematic and verifiable way to identify the costs of individual fires.

Due By: June 2018

Legislative Auditor Recommendation #3

• Many possible approaches, simple to complex
• Any approach should ensure that the list of codes

is consistently maintained and updated throughout the fiscal year

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 22

Next Step Full Report

Proposed Final Report January 2018

leg.wa.gov/jlarc/reports/2017/WildfireSuppression/p/default.html

December 2017 Preliminary Report: Wildfire Suppression Funding and Costs 23

Contact Us

Rebecca Connolly (360) 786-5175 rebecca.connolly@leg.wa.gov Valerie Whitener (360) 786-5191 valerie.whitener@leg.wa.gov Audit Coordinator Casey Radostitz (360) 786-5176 casey.radostitz@leg.wa.gov Zane Kelly (360) 786-5193 zane.kelly@leg.wa.gov Research Analysts