BLM Smokejumper Trains Mexican Leaders

Todd Jinkins, Assistant Base Manager with the Great Basin Smokejumpers, in his Boise, Idaho office. 

Todd Jinkins, Assistant Base Manager with the Great Basin Smokejumpers in Boise, Idaho, recently completed a two-week international assignment in Mexico. He was part of a team of U.S. wildland fire experts tasked with providing training to members of a Mexican National Incident Management Team (IMT). The Mexican IMT is training and developing command and general staff members to take on positions with newly forming regional IMTs in Mexico. 

Jinkins, a long-time smokejumper and a Type 1 Logistics Section Chief, was one of four federal employees on the U.S. training team. After a day of in-briefing at the Mexican Forestry Department headquarters in Guadalajara, Mexico, the U.S. team traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula to join the Mexican IMT for the start of training. 

Members of a Mexican Incident Management Team participated in daily planning and strategy meetings with U.S. wildland fire experts in Mexico.

The Mexican IMT, with its U.S. counterpart, took on two 400-acre fires which were threatening an airport and a major highway. Jinkins discussed ways to solve logistical problems with the Mexican IMT. His shifts on the fires were long, just as they are in the U.S., where the two teams managed two fires for a total of 10 days.

"As an initial step, our trip was successful," Jinkins said. "The U.S. government has a bilateral wildland fire agreement with Mexico, and we will continue to implement that with training, future exchanges, and sharing resources. Our two countries can really help one another out."

Brush in the Yucatan Peninsula served as fuel, making it difficult for firefighters to dig firelines.

According to Jinkins, countries across the world are recognizing the need for more formally structured organizations to deal with fire incidents. Many countries are adopting – or adapting – the Incident Command System (ICS), which was developed and is widely used in the United States.

"As the effects of climate change become more and more apparent, countries like Mexico are recognizing that they need to get systems in place to deal with incidents. And it is not just fires they are dealing with – there are earthquakes, hurricanes – you name it," said Jinkins.

Jinkins found time to visit some Mayan ruins while in the Yucatan.

Jinkins added that he came away with a greater appreciation for how functional ICS is in the United States. "Being in Mexico made me realize how well-versed we are in responding to incidents. Fire management specialists from the BLM and other federal agencies are some of the best in the world when it comes to managing incidents," he said.

Story by Ken Frederick, External Affairs, BLM Fire and Aviation. Photos by BLM.

**********************

Reprinted from the  BLM Daily, June 29, 2015.

IGNITE: Freedom

May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. – Peter Marshall

We send a very special shout out this holiday weekend to all those staffing fire operations across this great nation. We appreciate your sacrifice.

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership and SHARE throughout your networks. ‪#‎fireleadership‬ ‪#‎fireminis‬

More Than a Resource

From equipment to personnel, the world of wildland fire is made up of resources. Unless you are ordered as a single resource, your identity is attached to that of your crew, base or piece of equipment. Rarely will your name appear anywhere but on a manifest. During the Yarnell Hill fire, the Granite Mountain Hotshots were assigned as "C-5" on a crew resource order. On June 30, 2014, we didn't just lose a crew, we lost 19 individuals.

Like many of you, I have struggled with the death of these 19 firefighters, the near-death of another and those who rescued him. I've studied the readily-available information and talked with those in my sphere of influence who knew members of the crew, but more questions than answers remain.

There will never be just ONE thing that can forever change to stop a similar incident from occurring in the future. Details may surface, that shed some light on the tragedy, but the point of this blog is to recognize the individual lives lost. This crew was made up of husbands, boyfriends, fathers, sons, brothers, grandsons, nephews, cousins, friends, church leaders, athletes, veterans, soul mates, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, partiers, exceptional students, Boy Scouts, lovers, speakers, advocates, biologists, naturalists, bikers, motorcyclists, students of fire and leadership, outdoorsmen, EMTs, carpenters, readers and writers. Each one was more than a resource. These multi-faceted individuals added value and purpose to their families--be it blood, affinity, or work.

Andrew Ashcraft

Robert Caldwell

Travis Carter

Dustin DeFord

Christopher MacKenzie

Eric Marsh

Grant McKee

Sean Misner

Scott Norris

Wade Parker

John Percin

Anthony Rose

Jesse Steed

Joe Thurston

Travis Turbyfill

Billy Warneke

Calyton Whitted

Kevin Woyjeck

Garrent Zuppiger

********************************

Post-thought: Books and movies will be written; each giving us some perspective--right or wrong--of the individuals, the crew, the fire and those involved in the fire operations and accident investigation. We should always remember to temper our thoughts and actions with care and compassion. Our values of duty, respect and integrity will provide the mechanism to deal with whatever surfaces; care and compassion will form the bond that holds us together.

Take 5@2 - June 30 - July 5, 2015

Share this Take 5 @ 2 introduction video throughout your sphere of influence and stay tuned this week as we discuss each topic.

The “Take 5@2” safety messages are a cooperative project of 6 Minutes for Safety, the Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR), NIFC External Affairs, the NWCG Leadership Committee, the NWCG Risk Management Committee, and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center.

IGNITE: Moral Courage

An outgrowth of strong character, moral courage enables us to build trust with our teams and gain respect from peers. – Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, page 64

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership and SHARE throughout your networks. ‪#‎fireleadership‬ ‪#‎fireminis‬

North Carolina Interagency Workshop - Working with HART

On June 18 the North Carolina State Forest Service (NCFS) sponsored a 4-hour interagency workshop with the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team (NC HART). Attendees included firefighters and managers from NCFS, USFS, and local fire departments. Ron Hollifield, Regional Forester for the NCFS, was instrumental in holding this session.

The NC HART is the only program in the nation that utilizes a military aircraft staffed with non-military Rescue Technicians in cooperation with the NC Army National Guard, NC State Highway Patrol, NC Emergency Management, and municipal fire departments throughout North Carolina.  It is managed through the NC Department of Public Safety.  

 The helicopter used on this day is a UH-60L with both short-haul and hoist capabilities. [The fleet consists of two other helicopters a UH-72 Lakota (hoist only) and a Bell 407 (short haul only.)] 

 The workshop consisted of classroom presentation on the program and capabilities, a field session with the pilot, crew chiefs, and rescue technicians (here from the Charlotte Fire Department) and then a live demonstration. 

 

 For more information, contact Ron Hollifield or Riva Duncan for more information.

************************************
Thanks to Riva Duncan, US Forest Service R8 FMO, for sharing this post.

IGNITE: Ethical High Ground

Wildland fire leaders demonstrate moral courage by adhering to high ethical standards and choosing the difficult right over the easy wrong. – Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, page 63

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership. LIKE and SHARE throughout your networks. ‪#‎fireleadership‬ ‪#‎fireminis‬

Lessons from the Mudd Fire Staff Ride

(Mudd Fire Staff Ride; photo credit, Elko BLM)

On June 12 following the state's Engine Operator Course, the Elko District BLM conducted the Mudd Fire Staff Ride for 35 participants from Ely BLM, Elko BLM, and Battle Mountain BLM.

(Mudd Fire Staff Ride; photo credit, Elko BLM)

Incident Background

(Mudd Fire Staff Ride; photo credit, Elko BLM)

Northern Nevada was experiencing a record breaking fire season in 2006 with resources from throughout the nation either responding to incidents or staging in the Elko area. 

The Mudd fire started on August 23, 2006 at approximately 2:59 (Pacific Standard Time) from diesel exhaust just northwest of Adobe Summit on State Route 225. Interagency suppression forces were dispatched to the reported fire, 10 miles North of Elko, NV along State Route 225. Rapid fire growth and rugged topography dictated the need for several access routes into the emerging incident. 

With ground resources rendezvousing at different points around the fire, coordination of suppression tactics became increasingly difficult and some communication channels were either compromised or non-existent. The conditions and events that occurred during the Initial Attack phase of the Mudd Fire would, in the end, lead to a fire entrapment situation.

Staff Ride Resources

Mudd Fire Staff Ride Website (includes participant and facilitator guides, electronic presentation, and more)

• Mudd Fire TEDEd lesson
• Accident investigation factual report

(Mudd Fire Staff Ride; photo credit, Elko BLM)

What is Wisdom and How Can It Be Attained

(Photo credit: Photodisc)

By Cameron Cota

Most think of wisdom as interchangeable with the word knowledge. It is not. Knowledge is to know something; wisdom is to put it to practice. These two go hand-in-hand, yet they are not the same.

Knowledge can be obtained through study, but to gain wisdom a second element must be added: hard work. Wisdom must be gained through personal experience. Ben Franklin once said, “The doors of wisdom are never closed.” Wisdom must always be sought out, practiced; else it be tucked away, never to be used. Wisdom is also ever abounding. With each new scenario, new wisdom is gained. Once a person thinks to himself, “I have learned all there is to know.” All his wisdom has been lost, for that thought is merely another way of saying, “I don’t want to learn any more.” Personal experience and a passion for wisdom are the key ingredients for a wise mind.

In reading this essay, I hope your eyes have been opened to wisdom, it’s definition, and it’s attainability. My hope for you is that the fire of the pursuit of wisdom will be fueled and that you will never again confuse knowledge with wisdom.

*************************

Cameron Cota is the 15-year old daughter of Heath Cota, Sawtooth National Forest - Minidoka District FMO and member of the NWCG Leadership Committee. All expressions are those of the author. "Do Great Leaders or Ordinary People Make History" was an in-class essay for Cameron's history class. This is the first of two essays.

Today's blog entry is a testament to the power of influence. Leadership is an art that transcends boundaries. As Heath told me when he shared Cameron's essays, "It speaks of a lifelong study of leadership; and if you think that your subordinates see and hear all, even more so do our children." 

Are you influencing beyond the fireline? We would love to share your stories.

IGNITE: Doing It Right

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? – John Wooden

IGNITE the Spark for Leadership. LIKE and SHARE throughout your networks. ‪#‎fireleadership‬ ‪#‎fireminis‬