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American Morning
The Control Center Of Western Firefighting Operations
Aired August 20, 2001 - 09:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now for a look at a really big job Coordinating the massive fire fighting effort is the job of the National Interagency Center -- actually, it's Interagency Fire Center. It's the nerve center of the operation, and it's located in Boise, Idaho. It's also where we find our Jeff Flock. He is there to give us an up-close look at how they tackle this very difficult job,
Jeff, good morning.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. I want to take this step by step this morning. This is operating at fever pitch this morning. Neil Hitchcock is the guy who runs this operation, and you're up to your ears right now.
NEIL HITCHCOCK: We are quite busy. In many Augusts it's just about the same.
FLOCK: You are used to it. Give me a sense, what are these people doing? This guy here, what's he working on?
HITCHCOCK: Bill's working on our large transport jets today. We move crews back and forth around the country, from Fairbanks to Washington, or the east coast. And his job is to acquire and schedule those aircraft.
FLOCK: Gotcha. Moving over here, what's happening on this side of the room over here, Neil?
HITCHCOCK: On the personnel desk, they are the people that are acquiring the various skilled positions for ICS positions, or fire skills, people to help direct the operations on the field.
FLOCK: Give me a look at one of these thing here. What is this for?
HITCHCOCK: That is a smoke jumper booster request for the Gallatin Forest up in Montana. It was filled with jumpers from Nevada, smoke jumpers.
FLOCK: Right, gotcha. Moving on around here, we've got another pod over here. What are these people working on in this pod up here?
HITCHCOCK: This is our equipment supply desk. We have folks that are getting caterers and showers, for example, radio equipment, and all the materials that you need to support field operations.
FLOCK: Obviously, that's the big thing. You are supporting these guys and you've got to come up with both the people and the gear, right?
HITCHCOCK: That's right. It's a national perspective on logistical support for all the incidents.
FLOCK: Are you able to answer all the requests you get?
HITCHCOCK: Not every time, and not always on time. But, by and large, we work very hard to get those needs satisfied.
FLOCK: Obviously, one of the big ones is intelligence. Up at this pod, is that right?
HITCHCOCK: That's correct. They are the folks that provide us with the daily reports, as well as other kinds of statistical decision support information.
FLOCK: I want to poke my head up, if I can interrupt someone here. Deb, hi. I know we said we might be poking our head back here.
What are you working on right now?
DEB: I'm working on the National SIT Report.
FLOCK: What is that?
DEB: That's a report that goes out on the web, and out to the public so they can get information on all the large fires in the United States.
FLOCK: Now, we have reporters out here on this Icicle fire, and Bruce be able to get in tight on that. Now, this is the Icicle complex fire. What does these -- all this determine? What is this here, for example?
DEB: That's the size, that's the number of acres that have been burned.
FLOCK: So you've got almost 7,000 acres. Containment, looks like zero percent containment.
DEB: That would be correct.
FLOCK: And then what is this, people?
DEB: Yes. That's the total personnel that are on the fire.
FLOCK: That looks like 15 fire crews. And what is that there?
DEB: That's 72 engines.
FLOCK: And what is that, helicopters?
DEB: Yes, seven helicopters are committed to that fire.
FLOCK: You've got a lot of data here. These are all these different fires. You are charged with keeping track of all of it?
DEB: That's correct.
FLOCK: Now, this is available on the web right now, so we can send people to this. What is the web site?
DEB: It is -- I don't have that...
FLOCK: Is it NIFC.gov?
DEB: Yes, it is NIFC.gov, and they need to look for the National Interagency Coordination Center reports.
FLOCK: You can have it. It goes in here, comes out to you, or whenever you are. We're keeping an eye on this today, we'll give you some more perspectives here in the control center and then be out where they are loading gear and sending it off to the fires that you see burning out in the Pacific Northwest.
That's the latest from here, Jeff Flock, CNN, reporting live from Boise, Idaho.
KAGAN: Jeff, thank you very much. That National Interagency Fire Center will update the situation in the west during the news briefing next hour. We'll have live coverage for you at 10:15 a.m. Eastern, 7:15 Pacific.
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