Thread by @JimWhittington, The Eastern Area published the first detailed wildland fire guidance for COVID-19 [...]

The Eastern Area published the first detailed wildland fire guidance for COVID-19 on Wednesday. Here's a thread of first impressions. 1/

https://gacc.nifc.gov/eacc/eacg/documents/Eastern_Area_WFRP.pdf

The first item that jumps out is what has been talked about since the pandemic started: we will treat crews/modules as one--essentially a family--and there will be limited to no contact with others. This minimizes exposure & assists with isolation and contact tracing. 2/

From the report: "Module personnel should be assigned together for the entire season, on the same schedule, same assignments, in same camp, etc. Modules’ vehicles, equipment, work areas, restrooms, etc. should be off limits to anyone outside of the module." 3/

The report notes the logistical challenges of wildland firefighting and concludes: "Firefighters being self-sufficient for several days is a critical component of
effective suppression response, social distancing, and reducing exposure." 4/

COVID-19 "...will affect the ability... to fully staff... the Type 2 IMTs... Since many state resources are not able to travel out of state, critical overhead... may need to be mobilized using non-traditional transportation methods (agency aircraft) to allow rapid response." 5/

As a result, "State or Local Type 3 all-hazard IMTs (AHIMT) should be considered for deployment on extended attack fires if other overhead resources are not available." 6/

Resource availability, particularly from state and local responders, will be affected by the virus: "At this time, initial attack capability remains relatively strong. However, in some areas police, fire, and medical staff are being very hard hit due to COVID-19 infections." 7/

ESF4 is expected to draw down federal wildland support as state and local COVID-19 resources are exhausted. Also: "Ensuring [Hot Shot crews] viability is important as all USFS Job Corps crews have been lost due to students being sent home." 8/

We will have to rely more on aircraft than is probably wise: "Suppression aircraft availability could be impacted by COVID-19 due to heavier reliance on aircraft for aggressive initial attack nationally, as well as potential pilot exposure/quarantine..." 9/

There is no good answer. Risks will be taken to protect infrastructure, communities, and lives. It could be a Catch-22 kind of year: "It is expected that as the virus spreads IA capability will be reduced as firefighters are infected and or quarantined." 10/

The Eastern Area is not on the same timeline as most of the West: "The virus is expected to crest at the same time as the Eastern Geographic Area’s peak spring fire season (April-June)..." 11/

Because of this, the Eastern resources are frequently used in the West later, but travel restrictions may affect availability: "It is recommended that additional aircraft be contracted by land management agencies to transport fire crews and overhead..." 12/

The report goes on to sketch out 5 operational scenarios with an emphasis on long-term planning and : "...that all personnel are cared for in the safest possible manner and subjected to avoidance, containment, management, and treatment as needed." 13/

PPE laundry & resupply will have to be much more regular than in normal years. Some firefighters like to wear the same nomex shirt all year, but we can't afford that now. Extra PPE will need to be carried & hygiene must become part of crew culture like never before. 14/

As for operational strategy and tactics, we should consider monitoring of low risk fires, more managed fire, indirect attack, and management action points based on natural barriers. In short, fewer firefighters engaged in direct suppression. 15/

Smoke will be an issue and the report recommends communities plan for increased smoke loads. If you live in a community that traditionally experiences wildfire smoke, start making your own plans too. 16/

IMTs should designate people and sections that can function remotely and virtual incident management should be tested beforehand to identify issues and requirements for safety. Remote work will create a need for technology not usually used on extended fires.17/

The report also addresses the likelihood of virtual public information, transportation issues, and cooperator response and coordination. It also provides a long list of best practices by function that are based on CDC guidance and other public health info. 18/

All in all, a very good start. Those who wrote this obviously put a lot of careful thought into their document. We have never fought fire in the middle of a pandemic, so as these roll out for other regions and we get experience, lessons will be learned and changes made. 19/

But we need to understand this: "In the event of a high disease spread scenario with a high rate of infection, the associated loss of individuals from service will, in even a moderately active fire season severely tax the ability to maintain an adequate wildfire response." 20/20

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