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[Policy] [Policy Application] [Responsibility] [Interagency Coord.]

1.1 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

1.1.1 POLICY

Service fire management policy is based on the Departmental Manual (620 DM 1) and the 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy.

1.1.2 POLICY APPLICATION

Because the current policy presents some significant departures from previous fire management policies and procedures, a great deal of uncertainty and misunderstanding is associated with it. The following sections provide clarification of the policy, required background documentation, and interpretations and implications.

To reduce misinformation and provide correct and consistent direction, the 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy developed and approved an "umbrella" flowchart which illustrates the broad framework encompassing policy implementation. This flowchart has become the cornerstone for policy description, illustration, and development of implementation processes. The flowchart represents the interagency-approved diagram illustrating the broad framework within which the new policy will be implemented.

This flowchart portrays all fires as either wildland or prescribed fires. Wildland fire can follow one of three pathways, depending upon the level of land management planning completed, resource values affected, or fire cause. Refuges without a completed and approved Fire Management Plan have severely limited management options available. In these situations, refuges may only implement initial attack suppression strategies.

When the Fire Management Plan has been completed and approved (meets NEPA compliance) and wildland fires are from natural ignition sources, the full extent of management options is available, depending upon resource management objectives present in the Fire Management Plan. The Fire Management Plan must also contain specific prescriptive criteria and management actions for managing wildland fire to achieve resource management objectives. These actions could range from monitoring with minimal on-the-ground actions to intense suppressions actions on all or portions of the fire perimeter. The appropriate management response is developed from analysis of the local situation, values-to-be-protected, management objectives, external concerns, and refuge objectives.

When the Fire Management Plan has been completed and approved (meets NEPA compliance), prescribed fire, differs very little from how it has been managed under previous policy. Management planning must clearly specify the need and objectives for prescribed fire. Operational Prescribed Fire Plans must be developed and approved before a fire can be ignited. When conditions described in the Prescribed Fire Plan occur and necessary resources are available to implement the prescribed actions, the fire is ignited and the plan is implemented.

Human-caused fires will be managed through a suppression response both in the presence and absence of an approved Fire Management Plan. Management responses or actions are not developed to gain resource benefits. There are no options other than cost-effective suppression actions.

For either situation, wildland or prescribed fire, if the desired objectives cannot be met, or the plan cannot be implemented, a new strategy must be selected through the Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA) process and a new plan developed.

If an approved Fire Management Plan (meeting NEPA compliance) is not present for a particular refuge, then the only available option is suppression of the wildland fire and appropriate action will be taken immediately. Common sense must be used in suppression actions considering firefighter and public safety, values to be protected, least cost, and resource damage caused by the suppression action. If the initial attack is unsuccessful, a WFSA will be prepared to determine the next set of management responses.

Key Points:

This is the most complex of scenarios but offers full advantage of the fire policy. It allows resource benefits to be achieved from a wildland fire. It must be noted that having an approved Fire Management Plan does not mandate that a particular refuge will choose to make use of the full range of management responses. Refuges will identify strategies to accomplish their needs in the Fire Management Plan. These strategies will include the best options to safely, economically, and effectively accomplish stated objectives. Refuges will designate their specific management responses, which may include not managing wildland fires to achieve resource objectives.

The full range of management responses runs the spectrum from aggressive suppression of the fire to managing fires to achieve resource objectives. Human caused fires will occur in this pathway and Fire Management Plans will clearly state that the only appropriate management response will result in a suppression action.

Key Points:

The concept of appropriate management response is integral to the current policy. Management responses are programmed to accept resource management needs and constraints, reflect a commitment to safety, be cost-effective, and accomplish desired objectives while maintaining the versatility to vary in intensity as conditions change.

The appropriate management response is defined as the specific actions taken in response to a wildland fire to implement protection and/or fire use objectives. It allows refuge managers to utilize a full range of responses. It does not lock tactical options to fire type designations. As conditions change, the particular response can change to still accomplish the same objectives.

It is important to note that the appropriate management response is not a replacement term for prescribed natural fire, or the suppression strategies of control, contain, confine, limited, or modified, but is a concept that offers refuge managers a full spectrum of responses. It is based on objectives, environmental and fuel conditions, constraints, safety, and ability to accomplish objectives. It includes wildland fire suppression at all levels, including aggressive initial attack. Use of this concept dispels the interpretation or belief that there is only one way to respond to each set of circumstances.

The purpose of giving refuge managers the ability to select the appropriate management response on every wildland fire is to provide the greatest flexibility possible and to promote opportunities to achieve greater balance in the program. To clarify the full range of options available under the appropriate management response, four variables are used to illustrate development and estimation of an appropriate management response.

For those situations indicating a suppression-oriented response, a range of responses dealing with only suppression actions is available. The range of suppression-oriented appropriate management responses can vary.

Prescribed fire includes all fires ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives. Prescribed fire is a well accepted and established practice utilized by Federal, State, Tribal, and private land management agencies. In order to effectively use prescribed fire, a Fire Management Plan must be completed and approved, and a comprehensive, approved Prescribed Fire Plan must exist.

The Comprehensive Conservation and Habitat Management Plan specifies the overall need for and limitations of the application of fire. The Fire Management and Prescribed Fire Plan describes why the fire is needed, what the fire will accomplish, when conditions will permit achievement of desired effects, how specific fire application will occur, and how the progress and results will be monitored and evaluated.

If land and resource management plans identify needs that can be accomplished by fire use, Fire Management Plans will carry this need forward and identify locations and objectives. Site specific operational plans, such as Prescribed Fire Plans, will be prepared, approved, and implemented.

Prescribed fire plans may not be able to be fully implemented due to circumstances such as exceeding the prescriptive criteria, adverse fire behavior due to unexpected weather and fire behavior activity, or external considerations that direct change to other management alternatives. In these cases, a new strategic alternative will be selected and implemented. The WFSA is the tool to analyze alternatives, identify the appropriate management action, and specify necessary actions.

The practice of prescribed burning has historically been applied on a small scale to accomplish site-specific, maintenance objectives. This practice has primarily been confined to single land ownerships or jurisdictions. Wildland fire activity during recent years has increased the awareness of the need to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations. Immediate treatment to reduce conditions favorable to large-scale, high-intensity fires and to maintain ecosystem health are needed. Fuel treatment, as well as restoration of natural fire frequencies and function, can be achieved through the application of prescribed fire. This application can no longer be limited to small scale operations.  Fire restoration actions need to include much larger scale prescribed fire applications, such as landscape-scale applications that may involve multiple jurisdictions. Strategic landscape-scale fuel management and fire use planning must be capable of supporting ecosystem maintenance goals through the integration of a variety of treatment methods. Available treatment methods include fire, mechanical, chemical, biological, and manual methods to effect reductions in both naturally occurring fuels and hazardous fuel accumulations resulting from resource management, fire exclusion, and land-use activities.

Selecting a New Strategy - Wildland Fire Situation Analysis

The Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA) is a decision making process in which the Agency Administrator or representative describes the situation, compares multiple strategic wildland fire management alternatives, evaluates the expected effects of the alternatives, establishes objectives and constraints for management of the fire, selects the preferred alternative, and documents the decision. The format and level of detail required is dependent on the specific fire and its complexity. The key is to document the decision.

Use of the WFSA is integral to successful management of both wildland and prescribed fires. It serves as a contingency to undesirable outcomes by providing a mechanism to quickly and thoroughly analyze now strategic alternatives for any type of fire management activity.

The WFSA document contains sections to the document the process and decision.

Components of a WFSA include:

The WFSA is vital to continued operations when fire spread and behavior exceed suppression efforts, when management capability is inadequate to accomplish wildland fire use objectives, or when prescribed fire plans are no longer adequate to guide full implementation. The WFSA document can be used to compare alternatives reflecting the full range of appropriate management responses and can assess alternatives for realizing protection and/or resource benefits opportunities.

The document used for this purpose under the previous policy was the Escaped Fire Situation Analysis (EFSA) which differed in use from the WFSA in that it analyzed only suppression alternatives. The WFSA can, in selected situations, be used to analyze alternatives that will accomplish resource benefits in combination with protection objectives. The following table provides guidelines to determine how the WFSA may be used for specific circumstances. But, it's use is not limited to these circumstances only as other situations may develop that require a different focus.

Interpretation and subsequent understanding of this policy and implications to management can be confusing. Comparison to previous fire management policies does not necessarily offer similarities and direct replacement terms and defined actions. Looking at the flexibility and range of opportunities presented by the new policy greatly facilitates it's interpretation. Complete understanding of these opportunities and implementation mechanisms is prerequisite to efficient implementation.

Common misconceptions have developed about the new policy and to understand what it can accomplish, we must realize that this policy:

The new policy is formulated on a solid basis incorporating safety, and this commitment is continually reinforced. The Fish and Wildlife Service will develop and implement management procedures and actions that accomplish objectives while always remaining consistent with a firm commitment to safety. 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy Guiding Principles, identified as fundamental to the success of the policy implementation, describe the commitment to safety in the very first principle.

One of the key points stated in the 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy recommendation report is, "Protection of human life is reaffirmed as the first priority in wildland fire management. Property and natural/cultural resources jointly become the second priority, with protection decisions based on values to be protected and other considerations." Actions to be taken by Federal agencies, as stated in the report, include, " Once people are committed to an incident, those resources become the highest value to be protected and receive the highest management considerations."

The wildland fire management program strives to accomplish objectives designed to maintain, enhance, protect, and preserve natural and cultural resources. Fire management programs will maintain the capability to provide safe, ecologically sound, and economically efficient actions in support of land and resource management plans through planning, staffing, training, and equipment readiness.

Service fire management programs have never included, "let burn" activities. The implication that fires do not receive appropriate levels of management, scrutiny, and attention is not correct. In fact, wildland and prescribed fires have and will continue to receive significant focus during planning, implementation, and evaluation management phases. All wildland fire management decisions and operational activities will be given the attention and priority to ensure that proper management will occur.

A wholesale shift to one management strategy over another is neither desirable nor realistic, inconsistent with policy goals, and will not occur. The aggregate strategies available to implement the fire management program will increase in application to achieve a better balance of protection and land and resource management objectives.

The Service will work with other agencies and with other affected groups and individuals to prevent unauthorized ignition of wildland fires. Unwanted wildland fires will be suppressed at minimum cost, considering firefighter and public safety, benefits, and values-to-be-protected, consistent with resource objectives.

The Service will utilize the full spectrum of fire management actions - from prompt suppression of unwanted fires to managing naturally-ignited fires to realize and accomplish specific resource management objectives. The vast majority of wildland fires will continue to receive a suppression-oriented response. Suppression capabilities will continue to expand and grow in sophistication and capability to meet increasing demands such as the rapid expansion of wildland/urban interfaces.

The new policy promotes application of fire management actions along a "sliding scale" with ranges of minimal on-the-ground actions to prompt, aggressive actions to fully extinguish the fire. Use of this spectrum of responses allows the Service more flexibility to design responses closely allied with objectives and fuel, weather, and topographic conditions. Responses used to be driven by fire type as well as other considerations. But under the current policy, responses will be appropriate for individual conditions and objectives associated with that ignition, and not related to a fire type or classification. This will permit the Service to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in operations.

What the new policy actually represents is:

Management actions on wildland fires will no longer be driven by fire type designation. Fires will no longer be extinguished under a default response but will be suppressed for specific reasons. Fires that are managed for resource objectives will have specific rationale for such management identified in the Fire Management Plan.

Classification of all fires into a single category of wildland fires will enable refuge managers to respond to each and every fire in a manner appropriate for the objectives, constraints, and conditions associated with that fire. Refuge managers will not be forced to adopt a strategy due to fire classification. Greater attention to ecological concerns will occur and each fire will have a greater probability of accomplishing desired objectives.

Through the appropriate management response, managers can respond to different fires in different manners, using different strategies to accomplish different objectives. Nothing precludes this from happening concurrently. In fact, the most efficient program management will make simultaneous use of fire management strategies.

2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy recommendation goals support the concurrent utilization of available management strategies by stating, for protection capabilities, "Federal Agencies will maintain sufficient fire suppression and support capability." They further state for reintroduction of fire, "Based upon sound scientific information and land, resource, and fire management objectives, wildland fire is used to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems and to minimize undesirable fire effects. Fire management practices are consistent for areas with similar management objectives, regardless of jurisdiction."

Wildland fires managed for resource benefits will not be automatically categorized as having a lower priority than fires receiving a suppression response. However, all wildland fires must compete for resources on the basis of objectives, values-to-be-protected, safety, and other specific considerations. During periods of resource shortages, those fires determined to be in greater need will receive priority for resource allocation.

Policy review action items for values to be protected and preparedness planning state, " Federal agencies will define values to be protected, working in cooperation with State, local, and Tribal governments; permittees; and public users. Criteria will include environmental, commodity, social, economic, political, public-health, and other values." As part of the standardization goals, the report states that agencies will use compatible values-to-be-protected methodologies. Common priority setting standards to facilitate allocation of scarce resources will be developed.

The Fire Policy Review Recommendation for planning states, " Fire management goals and objectives, including the reintroduction of fire, are incorporated into land management planning to restore and maintain sustainable ecosystems Planning is a collaborative effort, with all interested partners working together to develop and implement management objectives that cross jurisdictional boundaries." Actions stated in the Policy Review include, " the use, by Federal Agencies, of a compatible fire management planning system that recognizes both fire use and fire protection as inherent parts of natural resource management; this system will ensure adequate fire suppression capabilities and support fire reintroduction efforts," and that Federal agencies will, "continue on-going efforts to jointly develop compatible, ecosystem-based, multiple-scale, interagency land management plans that involve all interested parties and facilitate adaptive management."

Agency standardization and development of common procedures will reduce administrative barriers. Action items to achieve this include:

1.1.3 RESPONSIBILITY

The Secretary has given responsibility for the operation of the fire management program on Service lands to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (620 DM 1).

A. Director. The Director has overall responsibility for the Service wildland fire management program. The Director will ensure that all Regional fire management activities are formally evaluated.

B. Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System. The National Wildlife Refuge System under the Chief provides leadership for the wildland fire management program. The National Wildlife Refuge Systemalso formally evaluates all Regional wildland fire management activities at least every 5 years. The Assistant Director is authorized to promulgate and approve the Fire Management Handbook and other fire related handbooks as needed to provide guidance.

C. Service Fire Management Coordinator (SFMC). The Service Fire Management Coordinator is the Chief of the Fire Management Branch in the National Wildlife Refuge System and is the Service representative at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The Fire Management Branch is responsible for providing technical direction and coordination of fire management planning, policy development, and procedures Servicewide. The SFMC, through this manual, is delegated authority by the Director to represent the Service on the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (MAC Group). The SFMC is responsible for implementing the decisions of the MAC Group as they affect U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service areas. The decisions of the MAC Group include the prioritizing of incidents nationally and the allocation or reallocation of firefighting resources to meet national priorities.

D. Regional Director. The Regional Director is responsible for the wildland fire management program in the Region and for designating a qualified Regional Fire Management Coordinator. The Regional Director, through the Regional Fire Management Coordinator, will provide wildland fire management program support to Service lands located within their geographic Region. The Regional Director will identify and clarify the roles and responsibilities of other Regional Office staff who might provide oversight to the Fire Management Program.

E. Regional Fire Management Coordinator (RFMC). The RFMC provides coordination, training, planning, evaluation, and technical guidance for the Region and is available to provide assistance for intra-agency and interagency wildland fire management needs. The Regional Fire Management Coordinator will meet qualification requirements established by the Service for the position. The RFMC, through written delegation by the Regional Director, is delegated authority to represent the Region on the Geographic Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (MAC Group). The RFMC is responsible for implementing the decisions of the MAC Group as they affect U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service areas. The decisions of the MAC Group include the prioritizing of incidents and the allocation or reallocation of firefighting resources to meet wildland fire management priorities.

F. Project Leader. The Project Leader is responsible for planning and implementing an effective wildland fire management program on Service lands under his/her jurisdiction. The Project Leader, in conjunction with fire management specialists, determines the level of fire management effort required to meet wildland fire management objectives of each unit. The Project Leader will ensure that an approved Fire Management Plan is prepared for Service lands under their jurisdiction. This would include appropriate consultation with staff specialists such as the Regional Historic Preservation Officer or Service Archeologist if appropriate. If the fire management program warrants, the Project Leader will establish a position to function as the Fire Management Officer for the field office (see below). Otherwise, the Project Leader will assign the fire management responsibilities to a staff member as a collateral duty. A staff member, assigned fire management responsibilities as a collateral duty, will meet fire management qualification requirements established by the Service. Project Leaders are to ensure that personnel hired in dedicated, fire funded positions are made available for dispatch to off-refuge/interagency wildland and prescribed fire management operations. Project Leaders will meet fire management training requirements established by the Service for their position.

G. Fire Management Officer (FMO). Fire Management Officers will be assigned where an individual refuge wildland fire management program requires wildland fire management expertise. An FMO may be assigned to provide wildland fire management support to a group of refuges (zone or district) when individually each refuge does not warrant a full time FMO. These are dedicated, fire funded positions, and as such are a Regional and national resource. The FMO may be called upon to assist in both intra-agency and interagency wildland fire management needs. The Fire Management Officer will meet qualification standards established or adopted by the Service for the position.

1.1.4 INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COOPERATION

Interagency cooperation is vital to the full realization of Fish and Wildlife Service fire management program objectives. The ability of a single agency to implement a fire management program of any complexity is limited without coordination with and assistance from other organizations. Interagency cooperation and coordination of shared resources and common activities is imperative at all organizational levels. A clear understanding of the roles each agency has at each organizational level is necessary to maximize the benefits of interagency coordination and assure the fulfillment of agency responsibilities. The following agreements and organizations provide program direction, coordination and/or support to the Wildland Fire program.

The authority for interagency agreements is found in "Interagency Agreement for Fire Management Between the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture" (1997).

The authority for rendering emergency fire or rescue assistance outside of the Fish and Wildlife is the Reciprocal Fire Protection Act of May 27, 1955 (69 Stat. 66), and the Departmental Manual (620 DM).

National Level Coordination:

Refuge Level Coordination: The refuge Fire Management Plan and any supporting documents identify the necessary local sources, types, and levels of interagency coordination. They also delineate the process whereby compliance with national and Regional policies and standards will be achieved. Refuge managers and their staffs maintain and execute the Fire Management Plan and cooperative interagency relationships.

National Mobilization. Mobilization tests interagency cooperation and demonstrates the value of interagency coordination. The National Interagency Mobilization Guide, which is revised annually, clearly describes interagency mobilization and dispatch procedures at all levels. Its directives will be followed by all refuges and Regions, without deviation.

Regional Mobilization. Regional dispatch normally occurs through geographical coordination centers to meet fire mobilization requirements. These centers review simultaneously occurring incidents and dispatch interagency resources on a priority basis.

Local Mobilization. Refuges should become familiar with the geographical dispatch center through which their personnel are dispatched and resources are requested. A refuge may be called upon to provide resources or to receive requested resources based upon priorities established by a Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (MAC).

Multi Agency Coordinating Group (MAC Group)

MAC Groups should be activated at the local and geographic levels whenever wildland fire activities are affecting more than one agency or there is competition for incident resources. There may also be a need for Geographic Areas to activate MAC when the National Fire Preparedness Level is at V, enabling Area response to requests/direction from the National MAC.

Responsibilities of MAC Groups at all levels:

Refuges should develop agreements or contract with local agencies and fire departments to meet mutual needs. Concerns of area-wide scope should be addressed through Regional agreements.  Exhibit 1-1-1 provides a guide to the appropriate agreement or contract. 

Drafts of all agreements and contracts for fire protection shall be submitted to the Regional Office and, where appropriate, field solicitors for review prior to implementation. The authority to enter into interagency agreements is extensive and found in the Service Manual and the Departmental Manual, 620 DM.

Multi-agency fire activities may be in one of the three following categories:

Mutual Aid Agreements. The national agreement, which serves as an umbrella for interagency assistance among Federal agencies, is the "Interagency Agreement for Fire Management Between the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior and the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture" (1997). This agreement and other national agreements provide a framework for, and grant substantial latitude in the development of Regional and local agreements and operating plans.

Besides the national agreement, Regional, State and local cooperative agreements can be developed for mutual-aid assistance. These agreements can be essential and should be a part of the fire management program in each refuge.

Agreements should lead to positive interaction among the participating parties by providing for areas of interaction other than crisis operations and by addressing all potential areas of cooperation and coordination in fire management programs. In addition to the Fish and Wildlife Service contracting requirements in 23 AM 1, they should specifically address the following, as appropriate:

Annual Operating Plans

Each agreement shall be accompanied by an Annual Operating Plan which shall be reviewed, updated, and approved annually prior to the fire season. The plan may be amended after a major incident as a part of a joint debriefing and review. The plan shall contain detailed, specific procedures which will provide for safe, efficient, and effective operations. The following items shall be addressed in the annual operating plan.

Federal (NWCG) and NFPA minimum training requirements for firefighters (FFT2) are: Firefighter Training (S-130) and Introduction to Fire Behavior (S-190).

In addition, Federal policy requires AStandards for Survival.@ This is usually taught as part of the S-130 package. Also, Incident Command System (I-100) is recommended.

These minimum training requirements may be the most difficult to attain for some of the small and rural fire departments. These departments rely on volunteer firefighters who typically receive training at monthly (weekend or evening) meetings. Adding an additional 32-40 hours of wildland fire training to their existing training may be prohibitive in the short term. To overcome this obstacle;

Wildland Fire Personal Protective Equipment Requirements: See NFPA and NWCG standards. The NFPA standards are essentially identical to those of NWCG, but may be more acceptable because of the nature of these two organizations.

Physical Fitness Requirements: Include the Work Capacity Test and/or a physical agility test that is in compliance with NFPA Standards 1001 or 1500.

Engines or Related Equipment: Engines and fire suppression equipment should meet NFPA standards.

Any agreement which obligates Federal funds or commits anything of value must be signed by the appropriate warranted contracting officer. Specifications for funding responsibilities should include billing procedures and schedules for payment. Any agreement that extends beyond a fiscal year must be made subject to the availability of funds. Any transfer of Federal property must be in accordance with Federal property management regulations. All agreements must undergo periodic joint review and, as appropriate, revision. The best general reference on agreements (except for terminology) is "Partnership for Efficiency Through Cooperative Agreements" by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

Mutual aid agreements should be considered as two-way agreements whereby on average as much is given as is gained. As such, they do not contribute to the FIREBASE analysis.

Contracted Protection

Contracts may be used where they are the most cost-effective means for providing fire protection commensurate with established standards. A contract, however, does not absolve a Refuge Manager of the responsibility for managing a Refuge fire program. The Refuge's approved Fire Management Plan must define the role of the contractor in the overall program.

Contracts should be developed and administered in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations. In particular, a contract should specify conditions under which abandonment of a Refuge fire might occur in order to allow response of committed resources to higher priority incidents.

In the absence of any formalized agreements, emergency assistance may be provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service to adjacent jurisdictions upon their request. Some State and local departments, however, will not provide assistance to neighboring jurisdictions without a completed agreement. Even refuges with very infrequent fire occurrence must develop agreements with their neighboring agencies so emergency assistance can be provided and reimbursed.

Under provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-233, as amended) and the Executive Order 12148, Federal Emergency Management (July 20, 1979, as amended) wildland agencies provide assistance to Presidential declared disasters and emergencies nationwide. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the overall coordinator of the Federal Response Plan (FRP) which guides 26 Federal agencies and the American Red Cross in response activities. The FRP is based on the fundamental assumption that a significant disaster or emergency will overwhelm the capability of State and local governments to carry out extensive emergency operations. These operations have been grouped into 12 Emergency Support Functions (ESF); and departments and agencies have been assigned primary and support responsibilities for each of these functions.