Best Business Practices for Incident Complexes

Creating an Incident Complex might seem like the simplest option in the beginning, especially during the overwhelming considerations at the onset of significant fire on the landscape.The long-range ramifications may result in additional workload after the fact when the dust settles, and the local unit is trying to “tell the story” of exactly what happened.Limiting incident records included within an Incident Complex to those that met large fire criteria may assuage the initial impulse to lump them all together an maintain data integrity in the long run.

If the following scenarios are true, fire management leadership will need to address the consideration satisfactorily OR may want to consider managing specific wildland fire incidents individually rather than within an Incident Complex:

• Individual records with Multiple Jurisdictions:
  • Conflicting suppression strategies. One agency’s policy may require 100% suppression while another may not and needs to be clearly communicated to the Incident Commander.
  • The respective agency administrators will need to agree and provide guidance regarding which agency is the “primary” for the Incident Complex i.e., which Protecting Unit will be used to create the Incident Complex record and thus be termed the Incident Complex Managing Unit and Agency.
  • Individual fire is being managed under a Unified Command structure, and that is not the intent for the Incident Complex.
  • From the Final Fire Reporting perspective.  Be mindful of each agency’s final fire reporting requirements.
  • Varying agencies, protecting or jurisdictional units may have differing acquisition rules and authorities. If there are individual incidents within an Incident Complex that vary from the “Managing Unit and Agency” of the Incident Complex, there may be conflicting acquisition authorities that could increase the probability for error.
  • Agencies may have unique records retention requirements that may influence the decision to manage incidents within an Incident Complex.
  • Resource Ordering – if incidents within an Incident Complex have varying agencies, there could be varying authorities required for resource ordering and hiring requirements.  For example, a State incident isn’t required to use VIPR, but Federal agencies are. 
• Cause
  • If one or more on the individual records are Human Cause incidents, there may be future litigation regarding reimbursement or fire trespass cases.
• Resource Ordering
  • Dingell Act Resource Tracking (DART) Establish plans for resource ordering. Consider whether you will assign resources to the Incident Complex or child incidents.  Recommended Business Practice is to assign suppression resources to an ignition/child within the Incident Complex. Resources that are NOT specific fire suppression resources i.e., IMT, CIMT, Caterer, Cache Van may be requested and filled on the Incident Complex.
• Is this a Lightning Plan or Incident Complex
  • If there are multiple small fires, evaluate the benefits to including those incident records within a complex. If it is determined there isn’t a high spread potential and suppressions efforts are expected to be successful within initial attack or shortly thereafter i.e., those fires could be contained and controlled in the foreseeable future (1-5 operational periods). Consider option to include those incidents within the IA response of an Incident Management Team or local IA resources responsibility rather than including them in the Incident Complex.
    • IF, they are included, a daily 209 will need to be done for them regardless of size, however it could ease resource allocation – lend lease.
  • IF, they are not included, they could be suppressed and “taken off the board” suppression efforts could be focused on the remaining large fires within the complex OR also managed as individual incidents.
  • Establish clear guidance and expectations for Incident Complex management. Ensure all stakeholders receive respective documentation and briefings. Specifically:
    • During Initial Attack (IA) who responsible for upward reporting?
  • Include Incident Complex guidance and expectation as part of the in-brief with Incident Management Teams
  • Include language within the local unit standard operating procedures.
• Incident Size – proposal for individual incidents to meet acres for large fire criteria to be part of a complex.  100 timber/300 grass or brush
• Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) current or anticipated
  • If there is or anticipate a FMAC request, it may be beneficial to keep the integrity of the individual record rather than including it in an Incident Complex.
  • Providing documentation on an FMAG is extensive – coordinate with individual wildfire Protecting Unit Grants and Agreement Specialist and respective Incident Business Advisor(s)(IBA).
• Potential for incidents to merge.
  • Two or more wildfires that burn together to form a single burned area and which, by management action, may be declared merged and managed as a single incident to improve efficiency and simplify incident management processes. If there is a high probability individual incident within a complex will merge, consider leaving them as individual records until such time as they do merge.
  • Plan messaging to the public as well as the land management agencies.
    • Example:
      • ​If the decision to create an Incident Complex is made, determine how you will message to the community if only one fire within the record continues to be active
  • If you have been messaging referencing the Meek’s Complex and suddenly change to Moose Fire (individual record) – are you confusing the reader?  Each situation may be unique and require a different approach. Coordinate with incident’s respective Public Information Officer or designating communications specialist.

• Incident Record Creation:
  • Will multiple dispatch centers be involved?
    • Know your CAD.  Most CADs only allow Incident Complexes to be compiled with incident records from their respective dispatch center.  If records are hosted/managed by more than one dispatch center the Incident Complex may need to be created in 209.
  • Are there approved 209 for individual records?
    • If there are, those respective records will need to have their 209 Status updated to Final i.e., do a Final 209 before you attempt to create the Incident Complex
  • See the Reference Section for additional guidance for specific applications.
• Once you complex you are required to do a 209 daily regardless of incident size or national resource commitment.
• Plan messaging to the public as well as the land management agencies.
  • Example:
    • If the decision to create an Incident Complex is made, determine how you will message to the community if only one fire within the record continues to be active
  • If you have been messaging as a Meek’s Complex and suddenly change to Moose Fire (individual record) – are you confusing the reader?Each situation may be unique and require a different approach.
• In addition, if fires in the complex merge, indicate the child 100% contained within the Merge widget and reflect the acreage it was at the time of the merge. Any additional acres shall be added to the parent.

• De-complexing?  What is the best business practice?  Should local units remove incident records within an Incident Complex once they are contained and controlled or do you leave the records in the Incident Complex Relationship?
  • Once an individual record is 100% contained, indicate it as such within its 209 “Complex by Incident” widget and leave the child record in the Incident Complex.
  • After child record is 100% Contained and indicated as such in 209, Change the ADS from SIT/209 within the CAD to Default by unselecting the ADS Permission Hierarchy within the CAD and leave it in the Incident Complex in the CAD, do not remove it from list of incidents associated with the Incident Complex record.
  • Coordinate any changes to the Incident Complex Relationship with your local/regional/or state Incident Business Advisor.
• Cons to de-complexing
  • Tendency to double report acres when individual records are removed from the Incident Complex.  Users are reporting acres within the complex as well as adding to the individual records resulting in inconsistent and inaccurate data.