**FUTA STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING**

**November 14, 2003, 1000-1400 hours**

**Columbia Building/FUTA**

**ATTENDING:**

-   Charley Luevano, BLM-FUTA

-   Kim Osborn, FWS-FUTA

-   Bequi Livingston, FS-FUTA

-   Emily Irwin, FS-FUTA

-   Anthony James, FS, Coconino NF

-   Josh Erickson, NPS, Bandelier NM

-   Pete Gordon, FS, Coronado NF

-   Jerome Macdonald, FS-FUTA, AFM

-   Mary Zabinski, FS-AFM

-   Aaron Ortega, FS, Lincoln NF

-   Leon Ben, Jr.; BIA-Western Regional Office\--Phoenix

-   Bryan Swift, NPS, Intermountain Region\--Denver

-   Bill Waterbury, FS-AFM

**OPENING (AGENDA REVIEW): (Emily)**

Jerome added the following topics to the agenda: review of the Steering
Committee Charter and review of the Draft Operations Guide.

**OVERVIEW OF FALL 2003 SESSION (Bequi/Emily)**

Emily, Bequi, Kim, Tony, and Jerome offered highlights of the Fall
Session:

-   The Fall Session was excellent for burning in the Southwest.

-   Field coordinators should have a minimum qualification of ignition
    specialist and experience with prior academies. FUTA used rotating
    field coordinators since home units are reluctant to approve an
    8-week detail to FUTA.

-   Candlewood Suites and Towne Place Suites both served as lodging for
    FUTA enrollees.

-   Students overwhelmingly opted for classroom training over burning
    during this session.

-   Linda Wadleigh will take over as lead instructor for RX-310 for the
    Fall 2004 session. John Lissoway's final RX-310 instruction will be
    Spring 2004.

-   Smokey Bear IHC will continue to help instruct S-234 for Fall
    sessions and Mt. Taylor IHC will assist with S-234 for Spring
    sessions.

-   Students felt Fireline Leadership was a great course, a good
    addition to the curriculum. It will be offered again in Spring 2004.

-   Workshops went well.

-   STEX/TGDS has been added to the core curriculum.

-   Work continues on the Cerro Grande Staff Ride/Walk, which will be
    included as part of each FUTA session---depending on cadre schedule
    and weather conditions at that elevation (10,000').

-   Looking at M-410 as core curriculum but outside the FUTA session
    because there's a big demand for it regionally. M-410 ties in well
    with the Leadership Curriculum and what's going on with the Lessons
    Learned Center. Will likely be held January 26-30, 2004.

-   Discussion of BEHAVE and BEHAVE PLUS, FS-VEG, Fuels Condition
    Classes, INFORMS.

-   Fall Session included project assignments in Idaho, Mississippi, and
    Louisiana

-   Kudos to Leon Ben, Jr., for laying the groundwork for projects on
    San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian Reservations. Thanks also to
    Roland Rose for his efforts in getting FUTA its own burn block at
    Fort Apache for future use whenever needed.

[]{.mark}

**WILDLAND FIRE USE (Josh)**

-   With permanent staff, FUTA can broaden its focus to include WFU
    training and assignments.

-   Need to connect with the Southwest's Fire Use Team, which gets off
    the ground this season.

-   FUTA students available for WFU assignments while FUTA is in session
    need to be shown as "available" in ROSS and ordered through SWCC.

-   Tie in with national meetings of WFU teams.

**UPDATE ON PRESCRIBED FIRE/FUELS SPECIALIST POSITION (Jerome)**

-   Phil Range has hired a contractor to work with PFTC, FUTA, and
    subject matter experts on the Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist
    Curriculum Development Project.

-   Basis is the Interagency Fire Program Management Qualifications
    Standards & Guide.

-   Contractor is meeting with PFTC and FUTA to develop a strong outline
    of knowledge and skills needed for fuels positions. He will then
    examine both academy programs, tying them back to interagency
    qualifications, and develop recommendations for a national
    interagency curriculum tied to the 401 series. To be finished in
    September 2004.

-   Both centers and the national fuels group will then begin working on
    the interagency curriculum, determining what needs to continue or be
    done differently.

**REVIEW OF F.U.T.A. STEERING COMMITTEE CHARTER (Jerome)**

-   National effort underway to develop a charter for a national
    steering committee for both centers for prescribed fire. Draft
    charter proposes 1 national steering committee, keeping the current
    PFTC and FUTA Steering Committees for academy operations, etc. The
    national committee would focus on national funding needs and the
    national curriculum.

-   FUTA's Steering Committee Charter has been requested by the national
    review group but never approved by the Southwest Area Coordinating
    Group. Bill Waterbury re-presented the Charter to the Coordinating
    Group at their November 13-14 meeting.

**F.U.T.A. OPERATIONS GUIDE** **(Jerome)**

-   Jerome passed out the current FUTA Operations Guide for review. Send
    all comments to him.

-   Fuels Management for Line Officers training---3-day session with
    FUTA sponsoring classroom training followed by PFTC-sponsored field
    training.

-   Burn Boss 2 Trainees---Looking for 5 or 6 who'd attend FUTA,
    participate in PFTC's session, then return to FUTA.

**P.F.T.C. SESSION IN THE SOUTHWEST (Pete)**

-   Coordinated by Pete Gordon, usually each October, to accommodate
    PFTC students burning only in Florida fuels, not in their home fuel
    types.

-   May no longer be necessary. Need to do within 6 months after
    attending PFTC or the idea loses its luster.

**UPDATE ON AGREEMENTS & BUDGET (Jerome/Emily/All**)

-   MOU for FUTA was signed by all SW agencies to cover their
    involvement in Academy operations but does not include transfer of
    funds.

-   Subsequent agreements signed among agencies to cover what they
    specifically agree to do.

-   Goal is to understand the many steps in the process and try to get
    these yearly agreements in place earlier each fiscal year.

-   Looking for FUTA funding for FY 2004.

**AWARDS: (Bequi/Emily)**

Discussion of uniforms, student recognition, and FUTA agencies'
abilities to procure these items. This will be detailed in agency
agreements as "in kind" purchases.

**FUTA FUTURE (All)**

Discussion on the need, if any to change future sessions, including:

-   content of special sessions

-   starting Fall Sessions in October to avoid end-of-fiscal-year
    issues, which would make that session 7 weeks

-   continuing to offer S-390

-   Fuels Management for Line Officers

-   increasing attendance by diversifying and taking advantage of other
    times of the year and other kinds of training

-   Wildland Fire Use training and assignments

-   Wilderness Resource Advisor

-   FUTA enrollees are a 50/50 split---Southwest/outside the Southwest

-   difficulty in getting state employees to attend because of their
    funding processes

-   scheduling M-410 outside the FUTA session

-   need to break down agency administrator barriers so we can burn
    across boundaries

-   weeklong symposia on insects, disease, climate changes, etc.; good
    for talking about issues and getting some training done

-   continuing and expanding workshops---contracting, condition classes,
    technology and policy changes---to reflect needs

**DATE FOR SPRING MEETING**

Set for Wednesday, April 21, 1000 hours, at FUTA