“Our number one priority
during a wildfire is the safety of the
community and all the
personnel assigned to the fires”
explains Jaime Gamboa Fire Management Officer
For Everyone’s Safety
San Bernardino National Forest ____ During a dynamic and potentially traumatic
event such as a wildland fire, firefighter and public safety are paramount. First
Responders respond to incidents as part of response plans developed by the Mountain Area
Safety Taskforce (MAST) that is a coalition of local, state and
federal government agencies, private companies and volunteer organizations in
San Bernardino and Riverside counties California that work together to help
prevent catastrophic wildfires.
Each agency of MAST, co-operator and organization is part of
an immediate preplanned communications plan. Everyone communicates, either by
radio, phone, or face to face meetings in order to carry out a coordinated
effort to safely stop, contain and ultimately extinguish a wildland fire.
During a wildfire, communications are vital for all persons involved to be able
to effectively navigate all firefighting efforts, to include air and ground
operations, in a safe and efficient manner.
“Our number one priority during a wildfire is the safety of
the community and all the personnel assigned to the fires” explains Jaime
Gamboa Fire Management Officer on the San Bernardino National Forest. “When events
such as a wildfire occur community members may be compelled to aid in
firefighting efforts but for the safety of civilians and persons working the
fire we want to reassure the community that we have trained professionals that
are in the air dropping retardant and water along with crews on the ground
digging hand lines, reinforcing containment lines with dozers for the safety of
the community” said Marc Stamer, San Bernardino National Forest District Ranger
on the Mountain Top.
Please allow
the professionals to perform their jobs. The duties they perform are
critical, complex, coordinated and not without risk.
The
first and highest objective on any incident is MAST
Fire Fighter and public safety. The U.S. Forest Service mission is
to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and
grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
The agency manages 193 million acres of public land,
provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest
forestry research organization in the world.
Public lands the U.S. Forest Service, manages contribute more
than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those
same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value
estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect
role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres
within the United States, of which 100 million acres are urban forests where
most Americans live.
Learn more at http://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf