Many folks were involved in supporting this effort, mirroring a real response to a wildland fire on one of the islands in the county. Ironically, many folks involved participated in a similar (real) event just days prior on Orcas, with a very successful deployment of county team members.

Thank you all for your participation and support, this is a cooperative effort which relies on us all.

  • WA State Parks
  • US Fish and Wildlife
  • SJC Dispatch
  • NW Region WA DNR
  • San Juan Island Fire and Rescue
  • SJC Sheriff’s Office
  • Lopez Island Fire and EMS

Our Objective:

Exercise the operational readiness of timing and logistics to get one squad of firefighters from a main island to an outer island; assess any needs, issues, problems with communication, transport, safety, readiness, equipment, etc.

Secondly, strengthen squad performance - readiness, teamwork, communication, firefighting knowledge, skills, and abilities, along with developing squad boss trainee leadership skills.

The Plan (Simulation):

At 1500 hours, boater dials 911 advising of:

"Driftwood on fire on Turn Island, off the beach on the west side of the island, appears to be moving into the trees.”

First arriving units find large wildfire from beach well into trees covering large area.

Response:

  • A call was placed to 911 with the above information. The call receiver took the necessary details and response initiated per established multi-agency agreements with NW Region WA DNR for unprotected lands.
  • Contact was made immediately with WA DNR Dispatch by SJC Dispatch, and incident dispatched to SJIFR as “wildland response to unprotected island, Turn Island”.
  • Contact was initiated between SJIFR duty chief (Chief 31) and WA DNR dispatch and duty officer. Chief 31 gave size-up, established Turn Command, and directed SJIFR responders to muster at Fireboat 31 ready room’. Command requested a squad of firefighters from Lopez Fire-EMS be dispatched, and moved operations to Tac 3. ICP was established at Turn Point across from the incident location on Turn Island.
  • According to squad leaders and members from both agencies - spool up, muster, and transport all went largely seamlessly.
  • Command assigned Operations (I. Newell) to the first arriving SJIFR squad leader, and established two divisions Alpha (San Juan) and Bravo (Lopez), each with a leader. San Juan squad initiated handline construction on the most threatened flank (left), with Lopez squad starting in on the right flank upon their arrival (30-45 minutes later).

Communications:

  • Good communication between SJC Dispatch, Command, WA DNR.
  • WA State Parks offered support if/where needed.
  • Some communication challenges were noted between Command and Fireboat 31, with multiple attempts for contact at times; needing to know who the squad leader was.
  • Command requested resource needs from Operations, and also developed a plan for extended attack (overnight) logistical needs.
  • Ensure a solid communication link between Operations and incoming resources, in this case Boat 3/Lopez squad on Tac 3 to vector them in for landing spot and initiate briefing

Other :

  • Command had Fireboat 31 complete a 360 of the island for full view of the incident
  • Operations, Command, and Fireboat 31 communicated re a water use plan (hose, pump, etc.)
  • Area of origin was identified, flagged, and Command advised
  • No major issues with equipment, personnel readiness, and deployment
  • All responders in PFDs on boats, good squad integrity
  • Work on shorter/more concise squad briefings - Plan, LCES, Specific Hazards/Logistic needs (developing equipment cache, etc.)
  • Challenging for some participants to envision fire without smoke, flagging, etc.
  • Lookout for each division was established, with weather observations given for incident every 30 minutes
  • Three participants were able to practice their leadership skills (Operations, Division Alpha and Division Bravo) for FF1/ICT5 task books

Exercise was terminated once the two squads connected left and right flank ‘handlines’; an after action review (AAR) was done on site with all squad members prior to their departure on Fireboat 31 and Boat 3.

Once again, thanks to all involved (especially Fireboat 31 and Boat 3 crew).

Jordan Pollack, Division Chief

San Juan Island Fire-Rescue

Coordinator, San Juan County Interagency Wildland Team