Photo: Cy Phenice EPN
the basis on which communication plan (comm-plan) and ordering-point to utilize for the
incident (in the paragraphs below, comm-plans and ordering points are discussed further.)
Jurisdictional agreements can also exist. These agreements, such as the West End
Operating Plan (WEOP) and the Los Angeles-San Bernardino plan (LABER) plan can dictate
which communication plans, ordering points, and even where Incident Command Post
(ICP) locations are to be located regardless of whose jurisdiction that the fire is burning
in. These agreements should not be confused with mutual threat zones, which indicate
areas (generally jurisdictional borders) that if a fire is burning in, will elicit a response from
agencies that do not have jurisdictional responsibility.
A CASE STUDY FOR THE FIRE OFFICER
T he North Fire started mid-afternoon on
By Dan Munsey
July 17 between the north and southbound
Interstate-15 lanes of the Cajon Pass.
Within a matter of hours the fire had
burned 4,000 acres; having jumped the
southbound I-15 freeway, the fire started
burning the 74 passenger vehicles and
commercial trucks in its path.
Due to the complex nature of the fire, the North Fire Incident Commander (IC) established
geographical divisions, an MCI Group, a hazardous material group and a structure protection branch, all designed
to mitigate the dynamic fire threats. Adding confusion, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California
Highway Patrol (CHP), Cal-Trans, the United States Forest Service (USFS), Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire (County
Fire) and Southern California Edison each had interests protecting infrastructure and the environment and ensuring that
traffic continued to flow through the Cajon pass; each party’s interests had to be maintained in the mitigation efforts.
Background & Header Photos: Jeff Zimmerman EPN
The North Fire, in this complexity, offers a unique case study for chief and company officers. This article will examine the first-in
officer’s role in determining jurisdiction, establishing command, establishing a unified ordering point and ensuring common
communication—all critical components of successful and safe fire mitigation.
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Upon arrival at an incident, the first-in fire officer must verify within which of three jurisdictions the fire is located: federal, state
or local responsibility area (FRA, SRA and LRA, respectively).
FRAs are generally protected by one of the federal government fire agencies; this includes the USFS, Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Bureau of Indian affairs, while the SRA is
generally protected by Cal-Fire. On occasion these agencies may contract or trade with another agency for responsibility areas.
LRAs are generally protected by local municipal departments (fire districts or fire departments), but on occasion they are
protected by Cal-Fire or a federal agency.
FIREWIRE | Fall 2015
Responsibility for the fire’s management falls on the agency with jurisdiction, while fire management plans, guidelines, rules
and regulations may also dictate how these fires are mitigated. Maps (electronic or paper) should be consulted with GPS
coordinates to ensure the correct jurisdiction on any fire near jurisdictional boundaries. Failure to do so may cause an agency
to assume legal and financial liability during fire management on land that is not its responsibility to protect. Jurisdiction is also
In the case of the North Fire, jurisdiction clearly belonged to the USFS, with threats to
structures, power-line infrastructure, and vehicles on the freeway. Even on federal or state
responsibility areas, the County Fire Protection District has the responsibility to protect
structures and mitigate vehicle fires; meanwhile, CHP still takes responsibility for hazardous
spills on the freeway and to ensure commerce continues along the Interstate; and law
enforcement has the responsibility to ensure that areas under evacuation orders are closed
and protected.
Command should be established by the first arriving fire officer regardless of the
jurisdiction. This company officer (afte