N RANCHING
atural Resources
though they do not yet have GPS trackers to monitor the locations of vehicles, says Hannemann, “we are moving towards that.” Public information offi cers and fi re supervisors on
the ground deal with ranchers and other landowners. They also relay information on the effort to a dispatcher, who will enter it into the EOC’s dispatch tracker system. Hannemann says members of the public with appro-
priate permission can access a map to see where fi res are in each county. If they have extended permissions, they can also see dispatcher notes. Items are relayed to the dispatcher via radio, text or email.
If we see a weather pattern that is going to produce elevated fi re weather conditions, and we have dry fuels in a particular area, we will staff that area up.
Volunteer fi re departments are fi rst responders in collaborative efforts The fi rst response to a fi re is at the local level, by
volunteer fi re departments. If it gets beyond their con- trol, they will request the Texas A&M Forest Service’s assistance. “That’s when we bring in the heavy equip- ment, dozers and aircraft, if we have that in the state,” says Hannemann. “We try to coordinate the fi refi ghting efforts be-
tween the farmers and ranchers involved, and the Texas A&M Forest Service, who comes in and helps,” says Sheriff Elliot. “A lot of volunteer fi re departments come from all
over the state. They will have a command center set up, and we try to keep somebody there to talk to them, a local who knows the area. He knows the property boundary lines, knows where the roads go, and how to get through the fences — if you have a gate to go through instead of having to cut through the fence — but sometimes we have to cut fences.” King County Judge Duane Daniel is in charge of
those efforts. In Texas, county judges oversee fi refi ght- ing unless the county has appointed or hired a fi re mar- shal or fi re chief. That person serves under the judge. In rural areas, Elliot notes, “County judges are often
farmers and ranchers themselves, and they are well versed in how to best fi ght fi res in local conditions, be
50 The Cattleman June 2016
it plains, hill or brush country. We have had fi refi ght- ers come from as far away as Houston, which is the opposite end of the state, and they don’t know their way around up here.” The Lubbock sheriff’s offi ce has a large converted
RV-type rig that is used as a command center. For a fi re in the region, they will park it in a central location and Daniel, Elliot, the main fi refi ghters and the county emergency coordinator will headquarter out of it. “A fi re is not a law enforcement matter,” Elliot says,
“but it is such an important thing that I end up leading fi refi ghting crews who don’t know the country into a place where they can more effectively fi ght fi res. If they do not know how to get there, I will show them. If they can’t get hold of somebody and I know where he is, then I’ll go fi nd him.” Elliot says that if a fi re is on a large ranch, he be-
lieves that it is important to connect employees of the ranch with the fi refi ghters so they can be directed to where their equipment can do the most good. They use a variety of communications equipment. “The ranches have their ranch radios, which are
private radios, but I have one in my pickup and so do our county fi refi ghters,” he says. “Then, we have the regular police-band radio where everybody can get on the same frequency, and we have cell phones.” The landowners and their employees can be needed
to make sure a fi re is put out. Elliot says TFS fi refi ghters are sometimes bound by safety regulations restricting how many consecutive hours they can work before they have to back out and get some sleep. For this and other reasons, it is critical for state, local response depart- ments and landowners to work in a coordinated effort over multiple operational periods. “The farmers and ranchers know that if they quit at dark, that fi re might get away from them during the night,” he says. “Dur- ing the nighttime, the wind usually lays down. But if it’s blowing at night, it can add to one of those fi res.” And it is important to keep the effort coordinated. “In this part of the state, in fi res, the country chang-
es,” Elliot says. “You can have open country where it’s just a grass fi re, or you can have a heavy infestation of cedar and mesquite brush. Cedars burn real hot and real fast if the wind is blowing, so it’s kind of like a small forest fi re. It is a different kind of fi re than one that is primarily out in grassy, open country. “You just need to coordinate the local fi refi ghting
effort with the auxiliary fi refi ghters who come in from all over the state. Sometimes, you just can’t get it done without them. They’re so important.”
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