LEADERSHIP CORNER: Mutual Aid Summit - Ventura Update and Review

For this issues Leadership Corner, FDAC was going to focus on the California Master Mutual Aid System so when we were handing out assignments, I naturally raised my hand jumping up and down to be able to write this article. Well, that may be an embellishment, but I am super interested in being involved with the topic of Master Mutual Aid and some of you may have caught my presentation regarding this topic at the FDAC Conference a few months back. My background in the Mutual Aid System started as a firefighter in the early 1990’s making the trek south to Malibu and Topanga Canyon Fires riding backward in an open cab OES Engine. There were many other strike teams throughout my time on the line on local government (LG) engines and OES engines up and down the state, and I was always amazed with the system. In 2012 I became an alternate Operational Area Coordinator (OAC) for Placer County (XPL), 2015 I became the primary OAC for XPL, and an alternate Region IV Coordinator. In 2017 I became the Region IV Coordinator and have held this position since that time.

I was surprised to find out when I became an OAC how antiquated the system was and how slow it is to move orders, fill them and get resources on the road for many assignments. Of course, those internal OP area, and then Op area to Op area requests are easy. Orders are placed direct and go direct to dispatch center to dispatch center, engine goes puts fire out and returns to quarters. When orders are placed into IROC or before IROC’s time ROSS, that is where a lot of the issues arise. First let me say the local government folks that are trying to make the current system work are doing the best job they can, but it is just a system that needs full-time communications staffing and IT support to make any notable improvements from what already has been done. You may ask what has been done, well in Region IV the LG leadership and the OES Assistant Chiefs in the Region developed a google doc Region IV Resource Statusing document that makes it easy to status resources without phone calls to 12 counties or individual faxes/emails daily. Along with using messaging apps like Whatsapp to communicate with all twelve OA’s at one time filling orders as quickly as we can. It is not perfect it relies on 12 OA’s to monitor their phones 24/7 and a Region Coordinator to do the same. Let me remind you these positions are not funded by anyone. The technology we have used to make the system work is free and owned by Google and others. Also, let me remind you that we are busier than we have ever been, and the State and the Feds are relying on LG more now than at any other time in the past, where is our funding? OES is so reliant on Google sheets that all their resource statusing is being done through this freeware platform. Brilliant, but also a bit disturbing that this is the one major thing the State of California does not fund but when fires are burning what do we need quickly, Fire Engines and Personnel.

There must be a better way for the California Fire Service Master Mutual Aid System and LG Fire agencies to be supported. It is the best system in the World because of the OES Line employees holding it together with the Region Coordinators, Operational Areas, Local Fire Agencies, Region Dispatchers and Local Comm Centers. We still see delays that are unacceptable due to a break in the fragile chain of orders that either go unnoticed or sit there because the on-duty personnel are to inundated with 911 calls (their paid jobs) to even sign in to the IROC program, maybe they haven’t been trained on the system, or maybe they don’t have a sign in to the system? I am not making these instances up; I have seen them all over the last few years when orders sit. Not a big deal unless you made the request.

I was happy to see the notice come out for a California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Summit being held by OES in Ventura the first week in April 2023. I attended representing OES Fire and Rescue Region IV as the Mutual Aid Coordinator, FDAC President, and a member of the FIRESCOPE Operations Team. On the agenda were representatives from Federal, State, FIRESCOPE, and Local Fire Service Professionals. In the end there was healthy communication surrounding most all the issues and a list of modern technology programs including WFTIIC, FIRIS, NG SCOUT, and MARS. Note to self - no new dispatch related technology to support the Master Mutual Aid System was introduced. The end product of the whole meeting was a list of Mutual Aid Summit Action Items that were compiled and the FIRESCOPE Board set a committee to see if there was anything that can be done quickly and then identify paths for the other items to be worked on moving forward. Here is the list.

Mutual Aid Summit Action Items

• Better ways to track resource availability (Trello)

• Keeping OES and Local Government engines/ parts available with mechanical support

• NMAS National Mutual Aid System

• App for state and operational area communications (fire service cloud)

• Better communications with Special Operation resources

• What should be sent first OES vs. LG engines & substitutions of LG for OES

• Better Dispatch education/training

• Proper fit of OES engines per departments responses (training for type Ill

• Develop OES playbook for standardized response

• Seven vs. 14-day assignment

• Revisit RS 1 commitment, what should it be replaced with

• Need consistent agreements for Type I, Ill, VI, and special operations equipment

• Memorialize lessons learned during Covid experience.

• ABH positive vs. negativeCFAA Related

• Incentive Pay MOUs

• Hotel vs. sleep trailers for Local Government

As of May 16th, I have not been contacted for our first meeting although I have been included in a discussion group as the President of FDAC to help with the statement of work for a future OES Mutual Aid System Strategic Plan. I will continue to stay engaged with the Master Mutual Aid System and push for positive change that assists Local Government participate in the best mutual aid system in the world.

In appreciation,

Eric G. Walder, EFO Waterloo Morada Fire Protection District President FDAC OES Fire and Rescue Region IV Coordinator