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Interim Direction for Wildland Fire Reporting

Criteria for Initializing and Updating ICS‐209s

The Need for Interim Direction

The existing reporting requirements for initializing and updating the ICS‐209 Incident Status Summary (100+

acres for timber fires, 300 acres for grass/brush fires) works well for incidents managed under a full

suppression/perimeter control strategy.  For long duration incidents, and particularly incidents with potential

that have not yet reached the size necessary to initiate an ICS‐209, the current reporting requirements are

inadequate to meet the needs of the intelligence community and the decision‐makers who depend on them.

Statement of Intent

Until sufficient and lasting revisions of the ICS‐209 can be made, the intent of this interim direction is to

consistently capture information on wildland fires, managed under strategies other than full suppression, that

do not exceed reporting thresholds of the existing direction of the Interagency Mobilization Guide.  The Interim

Direction aims to strike a balance between the need for additional intelligence and additional workload.

Definitions

To provide for consistent reporting and continuity of meaning, the following definitions are provided:

Incident Strategy—Full Suppression/Perimeter Control:  Strategy developed to achieve control of a fire and

prevent it from exceeding a defined perimeter.

Incident Strategy—Point or Zone Protection/Limited Perimeter Control:  A variety of suppression actions taken

to protect a specific point or specific area from fire, usually by directing the fire movement away from

these areas or around these areas.

This strategy would not result in a continuous control line around the fire.

Incident Strategy—Monitor / Confine / Contain:  Management actions conforming to a monitoring strategy that  

periodically checks the fire to ensure it continues to meet objectives, and where no further action is

taken; or a confine/contain strategy that includes monitoring plus varying types and intensities of

operational actions to delay, direct or check fire spread

Actions taken are based on the values at risk and /or resource benefit opportunities identified in Land

and Resource Management Plans

Significant Change Event:  A forecasted, planned, or experienced event that affects incident management or

operations.  This includes but may not be limited to the following items:

• A critical fire weather event is forecast, such as a high haines index, dry cold front, etc; AND

fire activity created by the event is expected to threaten, potentially threaten, or cause

damage to values at risk;

• Sufficient increase in acres or activity (such as smoke production) to create public health or

nuisance concerns;

• The incident strategy is modified;

• National shared resources are assigned or released, including IMTs;

• An accident, injury, or fatality occurs;

• The incident is declared contained or out;
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Interim Fire Reporting

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Interim Wildland Fire Reporting Requirements

The Interim Reporting requirements listed below are minimum requirements intended for National

implementation.  Additional reporting requirements, i.e. mandatory completion of additional reporting blocks

within the ICS‐209, can be implemented to meet the needs of an incident or GACC.  Interim Reporting

Requirements  are based on the incident strategies found in Block 6a of the ICS‐209:

For incidents managed under a strategy of

Full Suppression/Perimeter Control:  No changes.  Continue to following current direction in Chapter 25 of

the Interagency Mobilization Guide.

For incidents managed under a strategy other than Full Suppression/Perimeter Control, AND the incident is likely

to remain active for a period greater than 72 hours, then for:

Monitor/Confine/Contain:  create initial ICS‐209; complete Blocks 1 thru 15 and Block 42, Remarks.  If

national shared resources are committed to the incident, Block 43 is also required.

Point or Zone Protection/Limited Perimeter Control:  create initial ICS‐209; complete Blocks 1 thru 15 and

Block 42, Remarks.  If national shared resources are committed to the incident, Block 43 is also required.  

Wildland Fire Complexes w/Multiple Strategies:  reporting for a wildland fire complex should follow the most

restrictive reporting requirements of all the strategies listed above.

NOTE:  Approval Information (Blocks 45‐47) should be completed for all ICS‐209’s.

Criteria for Updating ICS‐209’s

Like the initial reporting requirements, Incident Status Summary Updates follow the incident strategy:

Full Suppression/Perimeter Control:  No changes.  Continue to following current direction in Chapter 25.1A

of the Interagency Mobilization Guide.

Monitor/Confine/Contain and Point or Zone Protection/Limited Perimeter Control:  Update after or in

anticipation of a significant change event.  Otherwise, updates will be reported weekly, by the end of the

operational period Thursday, unless more stringent guidelines are specified by the Geographic Area

Interagency Mobilization Guide.

   
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The ICS‐209 blocks highlighted in Yellow (below) meet the minimum National Interim Fire Reporting

Requirements for incidents managed under Monitor/Confine/Contain or Point or Zone Protection/Limited

Perimeter Control strategies.  Block 43 has been added, though its requirement is conditional on the assignment

of National Shared Resources to the incident.

Incident Status Summary (ICS-209) 

1: Date 2: Time 3: Initial | Update | Final 

 | | 

4: Incident Number 5: Incident Name 

6: Incident 

Kind/Strategy 

7: Start Date 

 Time 

8: 

Cause

9: Incident 

Commander 

10: Incident Command 

Organization 11: State-Unit

12: County 13: Latitude and Longitude 

Lat: 

Long: 

Ownership at Origin: 

14: Short Location Description (in reference to nearest town): 

15: 

Size/Area 

Involved 

16: % 

Contained or 

MMA

17: Expected 

Containment Date:

18: Line to 

Build

19: Estimated 

Costs to Date

20: Declared 

Controlled 

Date: 

Time:

21: Injuries this 

Reporting Period: 

22: Injuries 

to Date: 

23: Fatalities 24: Structure Information

 Type of Structure # Threatened # Damaged # Destroyed

25: Threat to Human Life/Safety: 

Evacuation(s) in progress ---- 

No evacuation(s) imminent -- 

Potential future threat -------- 

No likely threat --------------- 

Residence 

Commercial Property 

Outbuilding/Other 

26: Projected incident movement/spread in 12, 24, 48 and 72 hour time frames: 

12 hours: 

24 hours: 

48 hours: 

72 hours: 

27: Values at Risk: include communities, critical infrastructure, natural and cultural resources in 12, 24, 48 

and 

 72 hour time frames: 

12 hours: 

24 hours: 

 

48 hours: 
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72 hours: 

28: Critical Resource Needs (amount, type, kind, and number of operational periods in priority order in 12, 24, 

 48 and 72 hour time frames): ex. 3 CRW1 (4); 1 HEL1 (5); 

12 hours 

24 hours: 

48 hours: 

72 hours: 

29: Major problems and concerns (control problems, social/political/economic concerns or impacts, etc.) 

Relate critical resources needs identified above to the Incident Action Plan. 

30: Observed Weather for current operational period: 

Wind Direction: Wind Speed (mph): Peak Gusts: 

Max. Temperature: Min. Relative Humidity:

31: Fuels/Materials Involved: A drop down box with the 13 Fire Behavior Fuel Models has been added. The 

incident would select the predominant fuel model with the option to include additional fuels information in the 

text box. 

32: Today's observed fire behavior (leave blank for non-fire events): 

33: Significant events today (closures, evacuations, significant progress made, etc.): 

34: Forecasted Weather for next operational period: 

Wind Speed (mph): Temperature: 

Wind Direction: Relative Humidity: 

35: Estimated Control 

Date and Time: 

36: Projected Final Size: 37: Estimated Final Cost:

38: Actions planned for next operational period: 

39: For fire incidents, describe resistance to control in terms of: 

1. Growth Potential - 

2. Difficulty of Terrain - 

40: Given the current constraints, when will the chosen management strategy succeed? 

41: Projected demobilization start date: 
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42: Remarks: 

43: Committed Resources 

Agency

CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS DOZR WTDR OVHD Camp 

Crews

Total 

SR ST SR ST SR SR SR SR ST SR ST SR SR Personnel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total 

44: Cooperating and Assisting Agencies Not Listed Above: 

Approval Information 

45: Prepared by: 46: Approved by: 47: Sent to By: 

Date: Time: 

Revised 3/2009