Various Thoughts on Texas Firefighting

Texas Firefighting
I have spent several tours in Texas the past 2 years and would offer the following food for thought.
Some Regional Fire Coordinators drive the tactics on a incident on an ad hoc basis. Their experience level and red card quals vary widely and often aren't commensurate with the influence they have on the tactics employed. A Dozer module off my Forest experienced a near miss that was a classic case of everyone involved stretching the envelope (RFC, TFL, the IA dozer operator). From the outside looking in, it appears that there was a deference to authority as opposed to expertise and a command structure that lends itself to that scenario. The incident should have been reviewed and to my knowledge wasn't. I don't believe that it is a "cover up" per se but surely is a missed learning experience for all concerned.
Dozing for Dollars
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Texas Dispatch
I concur with the assessment of BarkR and have held my comments for a long time.Safety, of course, is Numero Uno, and with knowledge of in the TX dispatch system, as well a TX Incident Command, it is time for a review.On a particular large incident in TX the National Team OSC1 requested a dozer, citing specific, expressly needed, purpose. The order was placed to TICC dispatch. TICC dispatch coordinator cancelled the order and advised no dozer would be ordered. This decision by TICC was questioned and it was stated that in spite of the express order by the OSC1 it would not be ordered. Within minutes a review was held, principal individuals in the ordering system were 'called to the office' and told that insomuch as they did not know what was going on behind the scenes it was not acceptable to question the decision made by dispatch. It was only later discovered that the TFS IC had a direct line to TICC dispatch and that is where decisions were made on orders in spite of what the IMT requested. When this was brought to the attention of the IMT, the consensus was 'their hands were tied'. This is just one example, among many I'm sure, of the total disregard of the ICS system, operational safety of the firefighters and total lack of understanding of incident management, that scream 'watch out' if you work fire in TX. Firefox
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Texas Dispatch
The Texas Forest Service recently dealt with a fire in South Texas (The Hopper Fire) where there were questionable tactics employed, especially as it applies to the use of dozers at the head of the fire. I do not know if this is the incident referred to in your recent postings or not (the date would have been around August 10 thru 13th or so).One result that came from their dealing with the situation was the "firing" of a well-qualified ATGS (Air Attack). That ATGS had raised the issues with the Texas Forest Service, but was "shot down" and demobed (by an assigned Air Ops Branch Director from another state forestry organization)... End of issue.... Or is it?There needs to be a National Dispatch Review (if there is such a thing) for Texas.Imagine out-of-state cooperators arriving in Texas:The Zone Dispatch, the Texas Interagency Coordination Center (TICC) is in Lufkin. Except Expanded Aircraft (and Expanded Overhead for those aircraft) is in the Emergency Operations Center in College Station, managed by the TFS TICC Coordinator (this is where the headquarters for the Texas Forest Service is located). But, the OFFICIAL State EOC, called the State Operations Center (SOC) for all other agencies (TxDOT, State Troopers, Emergency Mgmt, etc) is in Austin. But never mind those, as we have another layer, the Incident Management Team (IMT) located in Granbury, which handles all fire response for state lands in West Texas (and claims to be covering the entire state for state coverage). This is who you report to if you are an incoming resource coming to Texas. And you may be assigned to a local area that has a dispatcher to talk to at a 4th (or is that 5th) tier level dispatch office.Is this confusing?The Texas Forest Service TICC Coordinator moved from Lufkin to College Station, where they have a new title, but who is the TFS Center Manager now at TICC? There is a designated point-of-contact, but most would agree that the TFS Center Manager is that person that moved to College Station. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had a Coordinator in TICC (Lufkin), but they recently moved to Corpus Christi to work out of their house, vowing to never return to Lufkin (this move was mysteriously approved by the FWS). So the only original Coordinator still at TICC in Lufkin is the USFS Coordinator. An interagency coordination center that has three Coordinators located in three separate locations? And then add the IMT that the TFS brings in to manage the fire organization in Texas, which processes orders and supervises dispatches and dispatchers like they are the Interagency Coordination Center. Many TFS employees are placed on Resource Orders under the IMT, and given ICS titles for doing their normal jobs. Many are given ICS assignments that are not their normal jobs.The IMT adds an extra layer of administration that actually adds to the costs of managing fires in Texas, and removes management from the local level. Dispatches of aircraft not requested (and specifically stated as being a safety issue by ATGS) are dispatched anyway by the IMT in Granbury. Resource assignments to local areas are decided by the IMT and College Station headquarters, often not requested by the local TFS office..I could go on and on, and I'm sure other folks could, too. I have not even touched on the 4th tier dispatch center system accepted as normal in Texas. It's a big state for one zone (OK, the miniscule Federal lands in west Texas are under the Southwest Region in Albuquerque, but the rest of Texas is under the TICC zone in Lufkin).I hope that helps explain the situation in Texas for those unfamiliar with the state fire organization and situation. BarkR