Bureau of Land Management Fire Reporting Instructions January 2001

For each incident, complete a fire report and submit all documentation to supervisor. This is a responsibility of the Initial/Extended Attack Incident Commander as detailed in the Standards for Fire Operations Handbook, Chapter 8 (1999).

Report each fire under a separate fire number (see the criteria for the assist and false alarm exceptions to this requirement).

Enter each fire report into the Bureau of Land Management Fire Reporting System as per instructions detailed below.

Print a hard copy of each fire report and file it at the District Office with the appropriate narratives, maps, etc. Fire reports and attachments have permanent retention designation per BLM Manual 1220 - Records and Information Management, Appendix B, GRS/BLM Combined Records Schedule 18/32a. They are to be filed by calendar year and retained in the District Office for 10 years after the calendar year cutoff, at which time they are to be transferred to the Federal Records Center for eventual transfer to the National Archives and Records Administration. Please contact your local Records Manager for additional information.

Ensure that each fire report is signed by the District FMO or his/her designee.

Prepare a narrative for each fire and file a copy of the narrative with the fire report at the District Office. State Directors will notify District Managers of the required information.

Attach a reference map for Type 1 or 2 fires that are ten (10) acres and larger. The purpose of this requirement is to provide the State Office with the perimeter of the fire so it can be digitized and used with GIS.

Enter the fire report into the Bureau of Land Management Fire Reporting System no later than five (5) business days after the fire is declared out. The data entered into the system will be randomly checked by State Office personnel and the Data Analyst in the National Office of Fire and Aviation.

GENERAL REPORTING INFORMATION

Fire Number - Enter only the numbers that are reserved for your specific district (see the wildland fire numbers and fuels management activities numbers lists). Continue through the entire block of assigned numbers before restarting the series. Fire numbers are not to be reused in two consecutive calendar years. For example, if you issued F001 in calendar year 1998, it must not be reissued until calendar year 2000. This is important because when numbers are reassigned in two consecutive years, it impedes the capability to generate accurate fire cost information for individual incidents and projects. Should you use the entire assigned block of numbers within two consecutive years, contact User Support well before running out.

Fuels management numbers are to be assigned once the project has been approved and received funding. This will enable units to track all associated costs for fuels management activities. For projects conducted over multiple years, issue one fuels management number for the entire project, report the annual accomplishments under the same fuels management number for each fiscal year and reference the continuation of a multi-year project in the Remarks section of the fire report.

Fire Type/Protection Type Definitions and Required Fields

Note: The following fire type/protection type templates are in PDF format and can only be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader you must download and install it before attempting to view these templates. If you are running on a Modernization Unix platform, contact your system administrator.

Fire Type 1: Action Fires - For all wildland fires where the appropriate fire management response was taken; excluding natural outs, support actions, and fuels management activities. In addition to the standard fire report data, the supplemental information on the Trespass Investigation sub-form will be required for all human caused wildland fires.

• Protection Type 1 - BLM land protected by the BLM
• Protection Type 2 - BLM land protected by another Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 3 - BLM land protected by another non-Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 5 - Other land, not under cooperative agreement or contract, where action is taken by the BLM to prevent spread to BLM land
• Protection Type 6 - Other land protected by the BLM under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 9 - Where the appropriate fire management response was based on objectives from an approved FMP where the end result of the fire is beneficial on greater than fifty percent (50%) of the total acres burned.

Additional information pertaining to fire type 1/protection type 9 wildfires:

Fire Type 1/Protection Type 9 wildfires utilize the traditional wildfire numbering sequence (ANNN) from the block of numbers assigned to each district and charge to subactivity code 2821. If, at the conclusion of the incident, it is determined that the wildfire did not meet the greater than fifty percent (50%) benefit criteria, code the entire wildfire as Fire Type 1/Protection Type 1 and report appropriately.

Fire Type 2: Natural Outs - For all wildland fires discovered that have been extinguished by natural causes prior to initiation of suppression action; excluding fires for which aerial or ground monitoring is deemed the appropriate fire management response.

• Protection Type 1 - BLM land protected by the BLM
• Protection Type 2 - BLM land protected by another Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 3 - BLM land protected by another non-Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 5 - Other land, not under cooperative agreement or contract, where action is taken by the BLM to prevent spread to BLM land
• Protection Type 6 - Other land protected by the BLM under a cooperative agreement or contract

Fire Type 3: Support Actions (Assist) - Action taken on a fire which is not threatening BLM land and no formal agreement exists which would require a BLM response other than a mutual aid agreement. In addition to the standard fire report data, the supplemental information on the Assist Information sub-form will be required for all reimbursable assist wildland fires.

• Protection Type 7 - Support actions by the BLM on wildland fires. Use the following criteria to determine when a report is required:
  • For non-reimbursable size class A, B, and C either assign one fire number season long for each cooperator, or assign each assist a number, per State Office direction.
  • For size class D and larger, assign one fire number per assist.
  • For all reimbursable fires, assign one fire number per assist.
  • When assisting other BLM offices or other agencies outside of the sphere of influence, use the BLM fire number referenced on the resource order. No report is necessary.

Fire Type 4: Fuels Management - For all prescribed fires or other hazard reduction treatments, used to meet approved land management objectives.

Additional information pertaining to Fuels Management Project Number assignments:

Fuels Management Project Numbers utilize a AANN (letter, letter, number, number) numbering sequence. Note: This is entered on the main Fire Report as the Fire Number. A block of fuels management numbers has been assigned to each district. These numbers are used with mechanical hazard reduction projects (Protection Type 1), support actions (Protection Type 7), and prescribed fire projects (Protection Type 8). These numbers can be used with any subactivity code, e.g. 2823, 2810, 5500, etc.

• Protection Type 1 - Mechanical hazard reduction treatments on BLM land (includes mechanical, hand, and chemical treatments). In addition to the standard fire report data, the RIPS (Rangeland Improvement Project System) Number, the Plot/Burn Objective, and the Benefitting Program information on the Fuel and Emission Data sub-form are required.
• Protection Type 7 - Support actions by the BLM for other agencies' fuels management projects. In addition to the standard fire report data, the supplemental information on the Assist Information sub-form is required for all reimbursable assist fuels management fires.
  The principal purpose of using assist numbers is to track BLM funds spent assisting other agencies with prescribed fire or other fuels management projects. Assist fuels management fire numbers should only be used with 2823 subactivity.
  Assign one number per project where costs must be tracked. Local offices may choose to assign one number per agency where there are numerous assists to a single local agency. Use the next available Fuels Management Project Number from the block assigned to your office. Note: Do not enter a fire report for assists to other BLM offices.
  Document the type and amount of assistance provided in the Remarks section of the fire report.
• Protection Type 8 - Prescribed fires conducted on BLM lands. In addition to the standard fire report data, the supplemental information on the Fuel and Emission Data sub-form is required for all prescribed fires.
  For debris burn activities conducted to eliminate slash created from commercial land clearing (e.g. road right-of-ways, communications sites, etc.) assign one fuels management number, report the project as a prescribed fire (Type 48) and complete the fire report accordingly. Report the total acres treated as the total size of the area cleared.
  For hazard reduction debris burn activities conducted in conjunction with a mechanical treatment, assign one fuels management number, report the mechanical treatment as a "Type 41" and complete the fire report accordingly. Calculate the total acres treated based on the area of the activity (e.g., if debris was piled from one hundred acres (100.0), report all one hundred acres (100.0) in the Burned/Treated Acres field in the Statistical Data section of the fire report). When the debris piles are burned, assign a second fuels management number, report the burn as a prescribed fire, "Type 48" and complete the fire report accordingly. Use the same acreage figure as used in the mechanical treatment report. Cross-reference the debris pile burning to the mechanical hazard reduction treatment that preceeded it in the Remarks section of the fire report. It is suggested that the FBPS Fuel Model be set to "Debris Pile" and that the "Total Pre-burn (tons)", in the Debris Pile Fuel Loading section of the Fuel and Emission Data sub-form, be calculated using the link provided.
  If a prescribed fire escapes and is declared a wildfire: 1) close out the prescribed fire project number and document the total acres treated up to the time of escape and 2) initiate a new fire report, assign a new wildland fire number (ANNN), use cause code '2' [Human] on the primary fire report and cause code '417' [Fire Use - Resource Management Burning] on the Trespass Information sub-form and indicate that the wildfire is the result of an escaped prescribed fire in the Remarks section of the second form. The total acres burned (the acres entered in the Controlled/Complete field in the Fire Management Data section of the main fire report) must reflect the total acres burned minus the total acres treated during the prescribed burn project prior to escape (e.g. 1,000 total acres burned minus 250 acres treated during the prescribed burn equals 750 acres at control reported on the wildland fire report).

Fire Type 5: False Alarms - For reported fires on which some type of response was initiated (e.g., patrol plane, engine or crew dispatched) but no suppression action took place. Assign only one fire number per protection type per district for all false alarms reported in a calendar year. Fire reports with additional fire number assignments will have an error and will be marked as "Incomplete" in the fire reporting system and any accrued costs will have to be reallocated to the district false alarm fire number. Each district is responsible for maintaining a log of actual false alarms so that the capability exists to perform any internal analysis of their detection program that either the District or State Office might deem necessary. The primary reason for this reporting change is the availability of a finite number of fire numbers. If you have questions, contact User Suppport.

• Protection Type 1 - BLM land protected by the BLM
• Protection Type 2 - BLM land protected by another Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 3 - BLM land protected by another non-Federal agency under a cooperative agreement or contract
• Protection Type 5 - Other land, not under cooperative agreement or contract, where action is taken by the BLM to prevent spread to BLM land
• Protection Type 6 - Other land protected by the BLM under a cooperative agreement or contract

Fire Type 6: Severity Funds - For fire numbers assigned to projects using funds assigned from the State Office severity fund account.

• Protection Type 1 - BLM land protected by the BLM. Note: For fires after 1998, 61 is not a valid fire type/protection type.
• Protection Type 7 - Support action by the BLM (non-reimbursable severity)

Cause - Enter Human or Natural to indicate the elementary cause of the wildfire.

Reimbursable Status - Enter Yes or No to indicate the reimbursement status for human caused wildfires and assist actions.

Burning Index - Enter the number related to the contribution of fire behavior to the effort of containing a fire calculated on the date of initial attack. This value can be obtained from the Weather Information Management System (WIMS).

Net Resource Value Change per Acre - Report for Fire Types 1 and 2/Protection Types 1, 2, 3, and 9 (BLM lands) only. Please direct specific questions to your district or state office fire planner.

• Determine Fire Intensity Level (FIL). Convert the Burning Index to Fire Intensity Level using the following chart:

• Determine the number of BLM acres burned by Representative Location (RL).
• Obtain the total Net Value Change (NVC) for the appropriate FIL for each RL from the Interagency Initial Attack Analysis (IIAA) NVC printout. Please contact your state or local fire planner for a copy of this report. If the fire burns in only one RL, skip the next 2 steps and go directly to the last step.
• Multiply NVC x acres burned within the RL for each RL.
• Sum results and divide by total BLM acres burned.
• Round off to nearest cent and enter positive/negative result.

STATISTICAL DATA

State - County - Enter the state(s) and county(ies) the incident burned in (see the State and County list).

Ownership - Enter land owner(s) from the following codes:

Vegetation Type - Enter type of vegetation from the following codes:

Acres: Burned/Treated - Enter to the nearest tenth acre for both wildland and prescribed fires. Calculate the total acres treated based on the number of acres of vegetation (live or dead) altered by burning, mechanical, or chemical methods less significant unaltered acres. The value of the Burned/Treated Acres must be less than or equal to the Total Project Acres.

Acres: Total Project - Enter to the nearest tenth acre for prescribed fires only. This acreage figure represents the total acreage in the project, including areas that were left untreated. Calculate the total project acres based on the perimeter of the project when attempting to obtain resource objectives that are covered in a treatment or prescribed fire plan.

AGENCY DATA

Fire Name - The fire name is limited to ten (10) spaces. Do not use symbols and do not use periods. For assist fires, abbreviate the name of the agency assisted and number consecutively throughout the season (e.g., USFS1, USFS2, USFS3, etc.) Fire names should correspond with the geographic location of the fire and be in good taste.

Resource Area Name - Enter the code for the Resource Area Name (see the Resource Area list).

Location (origin of incident) - Enter the location of the point of origin of the incident in either latitude and longitude or UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator). Select one method of entering the location by clicking the option button for either latitude/longitude or UTM. If you select to enter the location in latitude and longitude, enter degrees, minutes, and seconds. If you select to enter the location in UTM, enter the zone, easting, and northing. The location of the point of the incident origin should be obtained with a GPS unit. An example of a valid UTM value (in Arizona) would be:
   Zone 12    568000 E    3777000 N
An example of a valid latitude/longitude location (in Idaho) would be:
latitude =    43 degrees    40 minutes    19 seconds
longitude =    116 degrees    07 minutes    56 seconds

Owner - Enter the owner at the point of incident origin from the following codes:

FIRE MANAGEMENT DATA

Date of Discovery/Start (Prescribed Ignition) (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., May 22, 1999 = 05 22 1999).

Time of Discovery/Start (Prescribed Ignition) (HHMM) - Enter the four-digit number using the 24-hour clock (e.g., 1:00 a.m. = 0100, 8:13 p.m. = 2013).

Type of Detection - Enter the detection source from the following codes:

Acres at Discovery - Enter to nearest tenth acre.

Date of Initial Attack (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., June 1, 1999 = 06 01 1999).

Time of Initial Attack: arrival of the first IA unit at the incident (HHMM) - Enter the four-digit number using the 24-hour clock (e.g., 9:25 a.m. = 0925, 1:00 p.m. = 1300).

Type of Initial Attack - Enter the first, second, third, fourth and fifth units attacking the fire from the following codes. The first unit is required while the second, third, fourth and fifth units are optional.

Amount of Initial Attack - Enter the number of persons or pieces of equipment dispatched to initial attack. When the type of initial attack is I, J, K, L, M or N the amount is the number of loads. Code the actual amount up to 99 loads. Enter the total number of persons times the total number of days for ground monitoring (e.g., 5 people x 3 days = 15). If an aircraft is dispatched to an incident but not utilized, enter zero (0). The first unit is required while second, third, fourth and fifth units are optional; however, if the second, third, fourth and fifth units are completed in the Type of Initial Attack section, they must also be included in the Amount of Initial Attack section.

Acres at Initial Attack (the size of fire at the time the first initial attack unit arrives at the incident) - Enter to the nearest tenth acre. Acres at Initial Attack cannot be larger than Acres at Control.

Date Controlled/Complete (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., February 24, 1999 = 02 24 1999).

Time Controlled/Complete (HHMM) - Enter the four-digit number using the 24-hour clock (e.g., 1:00 a.m. = 0100, 4:30 p.m. = 1630).

Acres at Control/Prescribed Acres Treated - For wildland fires, enter total acres within control lines to nearest tenth acre. For prescribed fires, enter the actual burned area to the nearest tenth acre. The total acres at control must equal the total of the burned/treated acres reported in the Statistical Data section.

NOTE: To eliminate the duplication of reported acres, if two or more fires burn together, enter the final controlled acres for the fire number which received the most charges against it as the total acreage minus the acreage of the other fire(s). For each of the other fires, estimate the final acreage prior to burning together (e.g., Fire A burns 200 acres, Fire B burns 500 acres, and Fire C burns 1,000 acres then burns into Fires A and B and the final acreage is 10,000 acres. The report for Fire A would show 200 acres, the report for Fire B would show 500 acres, and the report for Fire C would show 9,300 acres). Do not assign new fire numbers to complexes.

Date Declared Out (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., April 6, 1999 = 04 06 1999).

SITE DATA

Topography - Enter the topography in the vicinity of fire origin from the following codes:

Aspect - Enter the aspect in the vicinity of fire origin from the following codes:

Slope - Enter the slope in the vicinity of fire origin from the following codes:

Elevation - Enter the elevation in the vicinity of fire origin from the following codes:

Weather Station - Enter the six-digit number for the NFDRS weather station describing the fire climate area in which the incident occurred.

FBPS Fuel Model - Enter the two-digit FBPS Fire Behavior Model that best characterizes the fuels in the burn area from the following codes:

MSGC (fuel Model, Slope class, Grass type, Climate class) - Enter the four-character NFDRS fuel model designator characterizing site conditions at the vicinity of fire origin. This value can be obtained from the Weather Information Management System (WIMS).

Special Area Type - Enter the special area designator from the following codes:

REMARKS

Enter pertinent comments about the incident.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Enter the names and titles of the persons accountable for verifying and entering the fire report data.

TRESPASS INVESTIGATION SUB-FORM INSTRUCTIONS

The Trespass Investigation pertains to wildland fires that were human-caused.

Cause - Enter the cause of the fire (see the Cause list).

If "Other, known" - Enter the cause of the fire, if it was not specifically included in the list of causes (above).

People Classification - Enter the type of individual responsible for starting the fire from the following:

Status - Enter the status of the investigation into the cause of this fire from the following: Field manager decision pending, No case, Trespass case opened, Trespass case closed by billing/collections, Trespass case closed by solicitor, Trespass case appealed.

Trespass Case Number - Enter the number assigned to this trespass case (if there is a case).

Authorized by Name and Title - Enter the name and title of the person responsible for authorizing that there will not be a case.

Rationale - Enter the rationale used for determining that there will not be a case.

Billed Amount - Enter the dollar amount (to the nearest cent) that the responsible party has been billed.

Billed Date (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., June 15, 2000 = 06 15 2000).

Recovered Amount - Enter the dollar amount (to the nearest cent) that the responsible party has paid.

Recovered Date (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., June 15, 2000 = 06 15 2000).

Received by BLM Amount - Enter the dollar amount (to the nearest cent) that the BLM has received from the responsible party.

Received by BLM Date (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., June 15, 2000 = 06 15 2000).

Remarks - Enter pertinent comments.

ASSIST INFORMATION SUB-FORM INSTRUCTIONS

The Assist Information pertains to fires (wildland or prescribed) for which the BLM provided reimbursable assistance or support (to another agency, state, etc.) for suppression.

Bill Number - Enter the BLM number assigned to the bill.

Name of Collection Contact - Enter the name of the BLM person responsible for billing and collections.

Amount Billed - Enter the amount of the bill (to the nearest cent).

Date Billed (MMDDYYYY) - Enter the eight-digit number for the month, day and year (e.g., May 22, 1999 = 05 22 1999).

Remarks - Enter pertinent comments.

FUEL AND EMISSION DATA SUB-FORM INSTRUCTIONS

The Fuel and Emission Data pertains to prescribed fires or hazard reduction treatments.

RIPS Number - Enter the Rangeland Improvement Project System (RIPS) number assigned to this project. If the project does not have a RIPS number assigned, please enter six zeroes (000000). The "RIPS Number", also known as the "Improvement Number", is a part of the Rangeland Improvement Project System (RIPS). It is the permanent record identifier for a land treatment project. The master log is usually maintained by someone in the field office's operations unit. This RIPS number should be assigned and a report entered upon completion of the project. This report should be entered by the resources person co-sponsoring the improvement project. For a 100% fuels management project, it may be necessary for fire program personnel to prepare both reports (the Fire Report and the Fuel and Emission Data sub-form). Coordination between resource area and fire personnel will be required to assure both reports are completed and the data is consistent between the two reports.

Plot/Burn Objectives - Enter the burn objective(s) from the following codes. The first burn objective is required, while the second and third are optional.

Burn/Project Objective	Code
Historical Scene Maintenance	01
Other Cultural Site Maintenance	02
Exotic or Undesirable Species Control	10
Habitat Maintenance	11
Research	12
Fire Dependent Ecosystems/Ecosystem Maintenance	13
Other (Natural Systems)	14
Fuel Reduction (Activity Fuels)	20
Fuel Reduction (Natural Fuels)	21
Debris Removal	30
Health (Insect Control)	32
Seed Bed Preparation	40
Vegetative Type Manipulation/Stand Improvement	41
Property Protection	50
Project Maintenance	51

Benefitting Programs - Enter the acres treated to the nearest tenth of an acre for the following benefitting programs: Forestry, Range, Wildlife, Hazard Reduction, Watershed, Ecosystem Health, and/or Other. The sum of the acres allocated by benefitting program must equal the sum of the burned/treated acres reported on the primary fire report form (in the Statistical Data section).

Fuel Model and Fuel Loading - Enter the 2-digit FBPS Fire Behavior Models that best characterize the fuels in the burn area from the following codes. The first entry should represent the majority (at least 50 percent) of the fuels in the burn. The second entry should represent any lesser fuel type that occurs in the burn area. The first fuel model is required and the second fuel model is optional.

FBPS Fuel Model	Code
Short Grass (1 foot)	01
Timber (Grass and Understory)	02
Tall Grass (2.5 feet)	03
Chaparral (6 feet)	04
Brush (2 feet)	05
Dormant Brush, Hardwood Slash	06
Southern Rough	07
Closed Timber Litter	08
Hardwood Litter	09
Timber (Litter and Understory)	10
Light Logging Slash	11
Medium Logging Slash	12
Heavy Logging Slash	13
Custom	15

If only one fuel model is selected, the percentage field will default to 100 percent. If a secondary fuel model is assigned, please enter a percentage value for the primary fuel model and the system will generate the percentage value for the secondary model to ensure that the allocation equals 100 percent.

If actual field data for fuel loading and consumption is not available, please select the most appropriate standard fuel loading and consumption range (light, average or heavy). If actual field data for fuel loading and consumption is available, please enter the pre-burn fuel loadings by size class, in tons per acre, averaged for the entire burn area. Weights should be entered to the nearest tenth of a ton for all size classes, as well as litter and duff (e.g., 123 represents 123 tons per acre, 4.2 represents 4.2 tons per acre, etc.). Consumption (Percent) is defined as the measured or estimated percentage of fuel actually consumed by the fire. The Max and Min Fuel Loadings by Size Class Using FBPS Fuel Models chart shows a range of typical fuel loadings for each fuel type (except Custom Model) and should serve as a guideline for estimating the fuel loadings for prescribed fire projects. It also represents the maximum and minimum acceptable values.

Debris Pile Fuel Loading - For a debris pile burn, the fuel loading and consumption by size class tables for primary and secondary FBPS fuel models are not applicable. Complete the debris pile fuel loading table by entering the pre-burn fuel loading value (pre-burn tons) and the percentage of the debris pile consumed by the fire. Computer Aids to Calculate Slash Consumption provides assistance in calculating tonnage for debris piles.