Fire Management 2022 Program Guide
CHAPTER 9 INTERAGENCY COORDINATION Maintaining close working relationships with our cooperators is one of the cornerstones of the Division’s fire management program. Because of the mixed ownership of private, state and federal lands in Utah, we engage in multi-jurisdictional fire incidents on a regular basis. Fostering and maintaining these relationships is a full-time job. We cannot expect everything to run smoothly and efficiently if we do not interact with our local and federal partners on a regular and ongoing basis. Division personnel link the interests and resources of the federal fire management agencies with those of the State, county, and cooperating local jurisdictions. We also function as liaison between multiple dispatch systems; the counties and the interagency fire center for the area. Information sharing is part of our many interagency agreements, and the timely exchange of information between agencies is essential to assure efficient and effective fire management operations. However, not sharing information in an appropriate length of time and taking action on a fire in another jurisdiction could be viewed as an independent action. Subsequently, the Division or county could be held financially liable if notification to the responsible agency is not made in a timely manner. The Division is party to multiple agreements with various local, county, state and federal agencies and entities. The authority to enter into these agreements is granted in Utah Code Annotated 65A-8-101(4) and 65A-8-203. A hierarchy of agreements has been developed to establish the roles, responsibilities, methods and procedures that bind and guide the signatory agencies.
STATE AGREEMENTS UTAH COOPERATIVE FIRE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT (CFMA) The purpose of this agreement is to document commitments of the Agencies involved, to improve efficiency by facilitating the coordination and exchange of personnel, equipment, supplies, services and funds among cooperating Agencies. The CFMA authorizes the formation of groups and committees to provide oversight to interagency efforts. These include the Great Basin Coordination Group and the Geographic Coordination Center, Operations, Training, Fuels and Prevention Groups. A key component is that the Division represents all political subdivisions of the State to the federal agencies on wildland fire management matters. Therefore, the Division maintains cooperative agreements with county and local agencies.
204 – Chapter 9 Interagency Coordination
