# NATIONAL RESPONSE PLAN

## Scope of Emergency Support Functions (ESF)

**ESF #1 - Transportation**

-   Federal and civil transportation support

-   Transportation safety

-   Restoration/recovery of transportation infrastructure

-   Movement restrictions

-   Damage and impact assessment

**ESF #2 -- Communications**

-   Coordination with telecommunications industry

-   Restoration/repair of telecommunications infrastructure

-   Protection, restoration, and sustainment of national cyber and
    information technology resources

**ESF #3 - Public Works and Engineering**

-   Infrastructure protection and emergency repair

-   Infrastructure restoration

-   Engineering services, construction management

-   Critical infrastructure liaison

**ESF #4 - Firefighting**

-   Firefighting activities on Federal lands

-   Resource support to rural and urban firefighting operations

**ESF #5 - Emergency Management**

-   Coordination of incident management efforts

-   Issuance of mission assignments

-   Resource and human capital

-   Incident action planning

-   Financial management

**ESF #6 - Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services**

-   Mass care

-   Disaster housing

-   Human services

**ESF #7 - Resource Support**

-   Resource support (facility space, office equipment and supplies,
    contracting services, etc.)

**ESF #8 - Public Health and Medical Service**

-   Public health

-   Medical

-   Mental health services

-   Mortuary services

**ESF #9 - Urban Search and Rescue**

-   Life-saving assistance

-   Urban search and rescue

**ESF #10 - Oil and Hazardous Materials Response**

-   Oil and hazardous materials (chemical, biological, radiological,
    etc.) response

-   Environmental safety and short- and long-term cleanup

**ESF #11 - Agriculture and Natural Resources**

-   Nutrition assistance

-   Animal and plant disease/pest response

-   Food safety and security

-   Natural and cultural resources and historic properties protection
    and restoration

**ESF #12 - Energy**

-   Energy infrastructure assessment, repair, and restoration

-   Energy industry utilities coordination

-   Energy forecast

**ESF #13 - Public Safety and Security**

-   Facility and resource security

-   Security planning and technical and resource assistance

-   Public safety/security support

-   Support to access, traffic, and crowd control

**ESF #14 - Long-Term Community Recovery and Mitigation**

-   Social and economic community impact assessment

-   Long-term community recovery assistance to States, local
    governments, and the private sector

-   Mitigation analysis and program implementation

**ESF #15 - External Affairs**

-   Emergency public information and protective action guidance

-   Media and community relations

-   Congressional and international affairs

-   Tribal and insular affairs

## Emergency Support Function #4 -- Firefighting Annex

**ESF Coordinator:**

Department of Agriculture/Forest Service

**Primary Agency:**

Department of Agriculture/Forest Service

**Support Agencies:**

Department of Commerce

Department of Defense

Department of Homeland Security

Department of the Interior

Environmental Protection Agency

**Introduction**

**Purpose**

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #4 --Firefighting enables the detection
and suppression of wildland, rural, and urban fires resulting from, or
occurring coincidentally with, an Incident of National Significance.

**Scope**

ESF #4 manages and coordinates firefighting activities, including the
detection and suppression of fires on Federal lands, and provides
personnel, equipment, and supplies in support of State, local, and
tribal agencies involved in rural and urban firefighting operations.

**Policies**

-   Priority is given to public and firefighter safety and protecting
    property, in that order.

-   Processes and procedures established by the National Wildland
    Coordinating Group (NWCG) in the National Interagency Mobilization
    Guide are followed in responding to Incidents of National
    Significance under the National Response Plan (NRP).

-   National support is accomplished through the National Interagency
    Coordination Center (NICC) located at the National Interagency Fire
    Center (NIFC) in Boise, ID.

-   Coordination with, and support of, State and local fire suppression
    organizations is accomplished through the State Forester, in
    cooperation with the State Fire Marshal, State emergency management
    agency, or other appropriate State agency and/or tribal fire
    suppression organizations operating under the National Incident
    Management System (NIMS)/Incident Command System (ICS).

-   The coordinator for ESF #4 -- Firefighting is the Department of
    Agriculture (USDA)/Forest Service, at the headquarters level. For
    operations that occur in the State of Alaska, operational lead for
    firefighting response is the Department of the Interior/Bureau of
    Land Management (DOI/BLM).

**Concept of Operations**

**General**

ESF #4 manages and coordinates Federal firefighting activities. This
function is accomplished by mobilizing firefighting resources in support
of State, local, and tribal wildland, rural, and urban firefighting
agencies.

ESF #4 uses established firefighting and support organizations,
processes, and procedures outlined in the National Mobilization Guide.
Responsibility for situation assessment and determination of resource
needs lies primarily with the local incident commander.

Requests for firefighting assistance and resources are transmitted from
the Joint Field Office (JFO) ESF #4 representative to the appropriate
Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC). For resources beyond those
available within the geographic area, the requests are sent to the NICC
in Boise, ID, by the Geographical Area Coordinator. The NICC contacts
the ESF #4 coordinator in the event of national-level shortages or
unavailability of needed resources.

Resolution of shortages is pursued by the National Response Coordination
Center (NRCC) and, when necessary, by the Interagency Incident
Management Group (IIMG). Actual firefighting operations are managed
under the ICS. Situation and damage assessment information is
transmitted through established fire suppression channels and directly
between the headquarters-level and regional-level functions according to
NIMS procedures.

**Organization:** ESF #4 has a parallel structure at the national and
regional levels.

**Headquarters-Level Response Support Structure**

The USDA Homeland Security Office represents the USDA/Forest Service on
the IIMG.

The ESF #4 coordinator operates under the direction of the Assistant
Director for Planning, Fire, and Aviation Management, Forest Service.
Assistance is provided as necessary by the Forest Service and DOI Fire
Directors at the NIFC.

The Forest Service Disaster and Emergency Operation Branch Chief serves
as the ESF #4 coordinator. The ESF #4 coordinator or representative
reports to and is a member of the NRCC, when activated. This position is
the link to the National Director for Fire and Aviation Management at
Forest Service Headquarters.

The ESF #4 coordinator, through the NRCC, provides subject-matter
expertise to the IIMG and, based on recommended Department of Homeland
Security requirements, may be operational on a 24-hour basis. Supporting
agencies' representatives are available by telephone or pager on a
24-hour basis, when necessary.

National logistics support and mobilization of resources are provided by
the NICC.

**Regional-Level Response Structure**

Federal firefighting response support is coordinated by the
regional/area ESF #4 coordinator provided by the Forest Service
regional/area office. The regional ESF #4 coordinator is responsible for
establishing and maintaining coordination with the national ESF #4
coordinator, regional support agencies, and the JFO. Regional
firefighting response and logistics support is provided by GACCs and the
NICC in accordance with established Mobilization Guides. Supporting
agencies have representatives available by telephone or pager on a
24-hour basis for the duration, as necessary.

**Notification**

Upon notification of a potential or actual event requiring ESF #4
response, the National ESF #4 coordinator notifies the Regional/Area
Fire Coordinators, the NICC, and the DOI Departmental Emergency
Coordinator.

**Actions**

**Pre-Incident**

Prevention: Policies, procedures, and guidelines for wildland fires are
established in the National Interagency Fire Prevention Plan.

Preparedness: National preparedness planning levels for wildland fire
suppression are established by the NWCG in the National Interagency
Mobilization Guide.

**Incident**

Initial Response Actions: The national ESF #4 coordinator or
representative:

Reports to the NRCC within 2 hours of notification;

Establishes communication links with support agencies, the USDA
Emergency Operations Center, the National Director for Fire and Aviation
Management at Forest Service Headquarters, and Forest Service Assistant
Director--Operations at the NIFC;

Establishes communication links with the Regional/Area Fire
Coordinators; and

Obtains an initial fire situation and damage assessment through
established intelligence procedures.

**Post-Incident**

Continuing Response Actions: The national ESF #4 coordinator or
representative:

Obtains, maintains, and provides incident situation and damage
assessment information through established procedures;

Coordinates incident resource needs, and determines and resolves, as
necessary, issues regarding resource shortages and resource ordering
issues, interagency conflicts, and policy matters referred by the IIMG;

Maintains close coordination through the NRCC with the IIMG, Regional
Response Coordination Center, support agencies, NICC, JFO, and Incident
Command Post; and

Maintains a complete log of actions taken, resource orders, records, and
reports.

**Recovery:** Resource rehabilitation and demobilization policies and
procedures are established in the National Interagency Mobilization
Guide and Interagency Incident Business Management Handbook.

**Responsibilities**

**ESF Coordinator/Primary Agency:**

**USDA/Forest Service**

Provides qualified representatives to serve as national ESF #4
coordinator, regional/area ESF coordinator, and ESF coordinator at the
JFO.

Requests assistance from supporting agencies as necessary to accomplish
ESF #4 responsibilities.

Provides logistics support through the GACC and/or NICC for mobilizing
resources for firefighting.

Assumes full responsibility for suppression of wildfires burning on
national forest system lands and joins in a unified command with the
local jurisdiction on incidents threatening national forest system
lands.

Provides and coordinates firefighting assistance to other Federal land
management, State forestry, and local fire organizations as requested
under the terms of existing agreements and the NRP.

Arranges for direct liaison with fire chiefs in the designated area to
coordinate requests for firefighting assistance in structural or
industrial fire protection operations.

Provides information to the Planning Section at the incident and to the
JFO as assessments of fire-caused damages are obtained.

**Support Agencies**

**Agency Functions**

**Department of Commerce** Provides fire/weather forecasting as needed
from the NIFC in Boise, ID, or from a nearby National Weather Service
Forecast Office under the terms of existing interagency agreements.

> Provides urban and industrial hazard analysis support through the
> Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of
> Standards and Technology.
>
> Provides fire/weather support under the terms of the National
> Agreement for Meteorological Services in Support of Agencies with Land
> Management and Fire Protection Responsibilities.
>
> Provides forecasts of the dispersion of smoke in support of planning
> and response activities.

**Department of Defense** Assumes full responsibility for firefighting
activities on DOD installations.

> Supports firefighting operations on nonmilitary lands with personnel,
> equipment, and supplies under the terms of the existing interagency
> agreement, including the arrangement of liaisons as required.
>
> U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Provides contracting services through
> ESF #3 to urban and rural firefighting forces to obtain heavy
> equipment and/or demolition services as needed to suppress
> incident-related fires.

**Department of Homeland**

**Security Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate/Federal**

**Emergency Management Agency/U.S. Fire Administration**

Provides subject-matter experts/expertise regarding structural/urban/
suburban fire and fire-related activities.

> Maintains a representative at the NIFC to assist with national
> coordination.
>
> **U.S. Coast Guard**
>
> Provides support for marine firefighting incidents.

**Department of the Interior** Assumes full responsibility for fighting
wildfires burning on lands within its jurisdiction.

> Assists the Forest Service in managing and coordinating firefighting
> operations.
>
> Provides firefighting assistance to other Federal land management
> organizations as requested under the terms of existing agreements and
> the NRP.

**Environmental Protection**

**Agency** Provides technical assistance and advice in the event of
fires involving hazardous materials.

> Provides assistance in identifying an uncontaminated water source for
> firefighting.

**Other Organizations** State forestry organizations in most States are
responsible for

> wildland firefighting on non-Federal lands. States may assist other
> States in firefighting operations and may assist Federal agencies
> through agreements. In addition, resources may be provided through
> Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Private-sector resources are
> mobilized through standard contract procedures.