NIMO has been involved in Risk Management for years and, more recently, the Risk Summit . The 2015 Risk Summit Report has been completed and the entire report can be read here: 2015 Risk Summit Report. Below is a summary from the report.

Summit Goal: 

To clarify and establish a collective course for incorporating risk management as an integral component of wildland fire management, both within the USFS and the greater wildland fire community.

Executive Summary of Summit:

Reggie Day and Matt Gibson report out
during the 2015 Risk Summit

Risk management is quickly gaining distinction as a necessary component of the business of wildland fire management. The Federal Fire Policy and the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy emphasize the value of risk management, and federal wildland fire management agencies are setting clear goals to become risk management organizations.  Wildland fire response decisions increasingly involve risk management principles and risks must be analyzed and communicated.  Wildland fire management is expanding from a focused tactical and physical perspective to a more all-inclusive approach including attention to risk management, human dimensions, and decision-making that support and improve organizational performance, safety, and accomplishment of social, political, and ecological objectives.  To better endorse and accomplish this, an improved understanding of risk management at all scales and levels is vital. 

The US Forest Service determined that a collective course for incorporating risk management as an integral component of wildland fire management, both within the US Forest Service and in the greater interagency wildland fire community is needed.   However, a number of impediments and uncertainties are hindering the capacity to accomplish this.  In 2014, a “Risk Summit” was planned and completed to identify needed improvements in wildland fire risk management, identify solutions and actions, enhance coordination efforts among involved entities, and establish an agreed-upon risk management program and its applications.  A group of fire management professionals met at this summit and generated a list of issues needing attention on a short- and long-term perspective, created workgroups and assigned areas of attention, and agreed to continue coordination efforts.

Over the course of the next year, specific important issues were worked on.  To maintain achievement and momentum, a second “Risk Summit” was planned and completed.  This summit facilitated consolidation of ongoing activities, intensification of efforts based on learning and accomplishments to date, and further definition of needs and requirements to advance risk management.

Senior leaders in attendance reinforced the importance and urgency of understanding and adopting risk management in wildland fire management.  Tom Harbour, USFS Director of Fire and Aviation, stated,  “there is uncertainty existing around how to adopt risk management, how to bring those ideas together, and how to build a risk decision-making process leading to better outcomes – this is why this group has assembled.” Jim Hubbard, USFS Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry, stated, ”the Chief of the Forest Service believes attention to this situation is urgent with an emphasis on safety and managing risk during initial attack activities.  Actions need to be taken before next fire season.”  Matt Thompson, USFS Research Forester, stated in a report, “organization-wide adoption of risk management is critical to effectuating change and ultimately improving the health of our public lands, the safety of firefighters, and the well-being of communities that reside in fire-adapted environments.  Risk management organizations are proactive, invest time and resources in “upstream” assessment and planning, and as a result are less susceptible to the vagaries of uncertain, time-pressured decision environments.”

The Summit started with a review of work completed since the last Summit and ongoing work occurring across the country.  These activities are many and include a substantial amount of accomplishments and progress.  Specific areas discussed include:  risk management councils, committees, and groups; research activities; risk assessment and documentation in the WFDSS decision support process; risk management at multiple scales; organizational learning and risk management; and human factors and performance in risk management.  In addition, Al Beaver, a risk manager from British Columbia, provided the Summit attendees with a discussion of risk management in British Columbia and the importance of risk analysis.

Two important reports were completed as outcomes of the 2014 Summit.  These include a General Technical Report that will be a solid base reference for risk management in wildland fire management (Thompson, Matthew P; MacGregor, Donald G; Calkin, David E.  2016. Risk Management: Core Principles and Practices, and their Relevance to Wildland Fire.  RMRS-GTR-16-XXX.  Rocky Mountain Research Station.) and a comprehensive reference on risk management terminology in wildland fire management (Thompson, M P,. et al. In Press. Wildland Fire Risk Terminology. RM-GTR-xxx.  Rocky Mountain Research Station.).  

The Risk Management GTR report was needed to provide a big picture perspective, review basic concepts and principles, and describe what wildland fire adoption of risk management would look like in practice.  Information presented here is drawn from the long-standing discipline of risk management.  It includes direction on integrating risk principles into all organizational processes and decisions, embracing an uncertain world, developing a familiarity with probability, committing to generating and using the best available information, developing systems of accountability to monitor performance, and using that information to facilitate continual wildland fire management improvement. The report also offers a roadmap outlining recommended next steps to facilitate the USFS’s transition to becoming a true risk management organization. Focus is directed at three areas – leadership, education and capacity, and assessment and planning.  This report will help overcome questions of what are basic principles, what is needed, and how to do it.

The Wildland Fire Risk Terminology report was prepared by direction from the 2014 Summit.  It summarizes existing science-based definitions into one concise and relevant set of clear, consistent, understandable, and usable definitions for terms associated with wildland fire risk management. It provides content and information across management and planning contexts and all levels of risk management, from tactical firefighting to national strategy development.  This report will alleviate the problem of inconsistent terminology in wildland fire risk management.

During the Summit, workgroups were established to review Organizational Risk Management, and Program Development.  Considerable time was spent discussing these topics and developing recommendations and next steps.  Six Organizational Levels and Risk Management workgroups addressed National, Regional/State, Unit/IMT, and Operator levels.  These workgroups defined issues, the problem, actions that can be taken, tools to support actions, training, and how to measure success.  Six Program Development workgroups focused on principles, governance, terminology/definitions, policy/practices, communications, and risk management process.  These workgroups discussed objectives, principles, and key messages to promote progress.

Some key points coming from this Summit include, but are not limited to:

• A Governance Mechanism is important to maintain progress - some entity, structure, or group needs to be formed and requires formal authority.
• Other disciplines/partners must be engaged in review of terminology.
• Outreach to outside partners must be conducted when appropriate.
• Use of consistent risk terminology must be ensured for training/education at every level.
• The need to improve Risk Management must be acknowledged and openly discussed.
• A common understanding of and approach to Risk Management with Forest Service employees, interagency partners and stakeholders must be promoted.
• A coordinated and integrated set of Risk Management tools must be developed and used.
• An understanding of what role each individual plays in Risk Management must be gained.

While much has been accomplished, much remains to be done before risk management becomes truly incorporated into wildland fire management. This Summit represents the next iteration in this process and provides a stronger foundation for movement ahead.   Work is and will be ongoing.  Workgroups will continue efforts to resolve issues; develop answers, procedures, and guidelines; and formulate next steps.