Saw on the IAP there are numerous “PVT” fire engines assigned as single resources. Types 3, 4, 5 and 6. Very few Cal Fire, OES or LG resources. I know there’s a fed team running the fire, but why so many private resources? Is it a cost thing? Contractual thing? Now my LG department has been polled twice for a STEN and once for a STEN-T. Looks like they’re trying form strike teams at the incident from all the single private resources.
With the Fire being on the SRF, the fire is on Federal Protection Area(FRA) the rules and requirements for FRA are significantly different than either LRA or SRA. The federal agencies are Land Management Agencies (LMA) have are required by law to manage the land for resource benefit for all citizens of the nation. Now manage has different meaning to different people. But in this case, Management probably means “Maintaining suppression costs with the values at risk”
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Thank you! I figured it might be a cost thing. I have seen “”PVT” dozers and water tenders on incidents, but hardly ever saw engines, especially as many that were on the IAP.
From a private contractor point of view, a lot of those private resources are from AZ. Some of those resources drove past local PVT equipment that was ready to go. I think they can get away with ordering cheaper equipment when it is “Planned Need.” They shop the whole country to find the cheapest equipment even though it could be 3 states away. A California LG unit has to be way more expensive than any PVT engine or ST form any other state. Finance is the first letter in F.L.O.P. ( Command Staff) My hope is that when it is immediate need, they hire the closest unit to the fire. Still waiting for a call, stuck in the middle of the state.
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There have also been a lot of PVT engines around here just on the forest day to day, covering stations.
Before the Fed fires kicked off, there were a lot of cover engines from faraway forests just doing daily work at the stations.
I don’t know, but I suspect they are just scraping the bottom of the barrel even before large fires kick off.
Why a PVT from Central California has not gotten called I can’t say, but we all know how this game is played, it’s always like that.
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Remember, the difference between Immediate and Planned need are determined by the values at risk. When a fire goes to planned need ordering of PVT resources. All kinds of requirements take a higher priority than closest resource. Things like Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise, Women Owned, Minority Owned, HUB Zone, Disadvantage Owned, Small Business Owned.
Planned need is just that PLANNED. if the Need Date & Time can be met, I’ve seen resources from as far away as R9 in California. Just like last year over 100 Dozers & Water Tenders from R5 went to R3 when New Mexico was burning like crazy.
The federal VIPR system is a best value system based on the resource ordered attributes. A dollar per point value is assigned. Sometimes the lowest daily rate isn’t the best value.
As an example, a T2 Dozer that has a 6-way blade, Slope board, and rippers can have a lower daily rate. Compared to the another T2 dozer with 6-way Blade, More HP, and a wrench. This dozer has a higher daily rate. But the 2nd dozer has more points because of the attributes and thus a lower dollar value per point. Thus gets called 1st.
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here is some info how the DPL are generated for contract resources.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/business/incident/dispatch.php?tab=tab_d
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The federal government is the most inefficient organization in the country, what makes anyone think it would be any different here.
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It is no different here but the feds think they’re saving money
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