Federal Emergency Management Agency Coordinating National Response to California Wildfires

October 24, 2007

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working side-by-side with state officials and other federal partners engaged in the response to the multiple wildfires burning across Southern California.

The President has issued an emergency disaster declaration for California and ordered greater federal aid to supplement state and local response activities in the affected areas. FEMA Administrator David Paulison says federal resources began mobilizing as early as Sunday, Oct. 21, and authorized federal funds to reimburse the state for certain costs incurred under FEMA's Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAG).

"The safety of the firefighters, individuals and families in the impacted areas is of utmost concern," says Paulison.

Citizens in the affected area are urged to listen for messages from state and local emergency officials and be aware of evacuation and sheltering orders in their communities.

To date, FEMA has responded to the state's emergency needs by coordinating the federal response in the following ways:

Within hours after the state requested them, FEMA approved seven requests for FMAGs. Under those grants, FEMA pays for 75 percent of the state's eligible fire-fighting costs. Some of those eligible costs include cost for equipment, supplies and emergency work like evacuations, shelters and traffic control.
FEMA opened a Joint Field Office in Pasadena on Monday, Oct. 22, to coordinate federal, state, tribal and local response operations throughout Southern California.
FEMA has identified and established a staging area in Southern California in order to mobilize necessary federal assets as identified for emergency operations across the state.
A federal emergency response team has been identified and staged to deploy as necessary to assist California as needed.
FEMA opened its Regional Response Coordination Center on a 24/7 basis to support state operations. The interagency center is comprised of federal agencies including the Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, United States Forest Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security's Infrastructure Protection.

FEMA's National Response Coordination Center was activated to coordinate the national federal interagency response in support of regional and statewide activities.
FEMA has sent a liaison to the State Emergency Operations Center in Sacramento to work with the state's response and recovery staff to compile information on the fires and ensure that any request is expedited and the right resources are sent to the right places. A FEMA liaison is also coordinating response efforts with the California Wild Land Fire Services in Riverside County.

Other federal assets employed to assist California include the Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau, the Department of Transportation, U.S. Fire Service, General Services Administration, Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Some of the federal and nongovernmental assets active in the response include:

The American Red Cross
Red Cross activities are focusing on sheltering efforts, with shelters open in five counties across Southern California. The number of shelters has been fluctuating as additional evacuations occur and the fires change direction. Thousands of Red Cross cots, blankets and toiletry kits are being moved from warehouses in the western United States into the affected areas.

The Red Cross is partnering with Southern Baptists to move two Baptist kitchens into the area, and 75 mobile feeding vehicles will be moving into the area over the next few days to provide food for the shelters and for emergency personnel on the scene.

The Department of Defense
The Department of Defense (DoD) has deployed Defense Coordinating Officers (DCO) and Defense Coordinating Elements to Pasadena, and to Boise, Idaho. A Command Assessment Element was deployed to San Diego to support emergency response efforts in Southern California. Each DCO will provide command and control of any responding active-duty forces, should they be requested, and will facilitate requests for any additional DoD support through US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).

USNORTHCOM has also designated Air Forces North as the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) that will provide command and control coordinating authority over Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System equipped C-130 aircraft. The JFACC's intent is to rapidly and effectively support USNORTHCOM's efforts to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in order to mitigate the effects of wildland fires.

DoD personnel in the affected area include nearly 300,000 servicemen and women, government employees and their families. The DoD can bring additional capabilities as part of a larger federal response when requested by the state and approved by the Secretary of Defense.

The Department of the Interior
Department of the Interior (DOI) wildland fire fighters have been assisting with suppression efforts throughout the area for the past several days. Specifically, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, dispatched federal firefighters and firefighting equipment to assist state firefighters in suppressing the wildfires. NIFC is made up of trained wildland firefighters from DOI agencies and the USDA Forest Service. The DOI agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The NIFC is working closely with state and other federal responders to coordinate the deployment of more firefighters and firefighting equipment to the affected areas.

The National Guard Bureau
The National Guard has deployed helicopters with crews to assist with fire suppression in Los Alamitos, and to Mather, Calif., to coordinate ongoing response needs in coordination with California Office of Emergency Services. One Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck fueler has also been sent to Los Alamitos to conduct refueling operations.

The National Guard is also supporting state Command and Control and Interoperable Communications through deployment of personnel and equipment, and providing ongoing logistical support for the federal-state response. The Guard has also deployed personnel under Title 32 orders for security support at evacuation centers, and in support of law enforcement activities in San Diego. The National Guard is also assisting transportation needs by identifying and mobilizing available assets in support of the state.

As the situation develops, the state will assess its needs and FEMA stands ready to respond with federal resources.

— FEMA

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