Author: Mark Niemeyer, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
As wildfires continue to devastate areas of Southern California, the urgent need for coordinated action has never been clearer. Our thoughts are with our colleagues and their communities facing a crisis very few of us will ever experience- while wildfire is a national problem, it is profoundly different in many areas of the west. In times of crisis, particularly in the face of such large-scale natural disasters, it is the collaboration across state lines that can truly make a difference. At the forefront of this collaborative response is the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a crucial mechanism that enables states to support each other with necessary resources, equipment, and personnel. However, as we confront increasingly complex fire seasons, there is a growing need for a more efficient, streamlined tool to expedite resource ordering and response coordination.
As President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA), I’ve seen the power of regional collaboration firsthand. During the current wildfire crisis in Southern California, the EMAC system has once again proven itself to be a mechanism for ensuring that local fire departments, from neighboring states, can quickly mobilize and assist in containment efforts. However, even as we rely on these proven systems, it is clear that further improvements in coordination tools could significantly accelerate the delivery of critical resources to the frontline.
Current EMAC response
The EMAC system is an invaluable asset when it comes to large-scale wildfire responses. This system allows states to share resources—whether they be wildland apparatus, task force/strike team leaders, bulldozers, or specialized personnel—ensuring that every community has the necessary support to fight the growing fires. The EMAC framework is already well-established, making it an ideal solution for requesting and dispatching resources across state lines.
In Southern California, for instance, fire departments from across the West have been called upon to support Los Angeles and the surrounding communities. Firefighters from Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Idaho have joined the efforts. This collective effort underscores the strength and desire of states to help one another.
The Need for a Collaborative Tool to Expedite Resource Ordering
While the EMAC system is an invaluable tool, we’ve come to recognize that there is still a need for a more efficient, standardized, and expedited system when it comes to resource ordering. While some states have built systems that can get resources deployed quicker than others, in many states the process of resource requests can become bogged down in paperwork, back-and-forth communication, and logistical delays. In wildfires, where every minute counts, this is a gap that needs to be addressed.
To address this challenge, the fire service and emergency management agencies need a collaborative platform that can streamline the resource ordering process. Such a tool would allow fire departments and emergency management officials to more rapidly communicate their needs and receive responses from available resource providers, all in real time. Ideally this tool would also house agency costs, personnel responding, and if required by the requesting state individual qualifications. Additionally, the tool would connect to the apparatus GPS (if available) to give the incident awareness of incoming resources and their timeframe to arrive. This would reduce unnecessary delays and help ensure that assets like fire crews, equipment, and aircraft can be mobilized within minutes, rather than hours or days.
Building a Unified Resource Coordination Tool
The development of a unified, collaborative resource management tool is not just a wish—it has become a necessity. Imagine a system that allows fire departments and emergency managers or State fire marshals to instantly see the availability of resources from across the entire landscape. In a situation where a region is overwhelmed, local leaders could use the system to quickly request what they need—whether it’s a specific type of engine, a strike team or task force, or specialty equipment.
Such a tool could and should integrate with the existing EMAC system, as well as already designed in-state mutual aid programs, allowing for faster processing of resource orders and reducing the risk of errors or miscommunications. By building on the established framework of mutual aid agreements, this new system would enhance collaboration by creating a single platform for tracking and deploying resources, as well as aiding in more rapid reimbursement.
The time is now to address this long-standing challenge, and I am confident we have the right minds and the right experience to make it happen.
Mark Niemeyer
President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
