About Dispatch
VIPR I-BPA for Water Handling Contract - Private Contractors
Dispatch Procedures
Dispatcher will call Company contact person for engine/resources to be dispatch to fire incident.
The Contractor/company will confirm their availability & ability to meet specified timeframes.
The Company and Dispatcher will agree on Estimated Time of Departure [ETD] and Estimated Time of Arrival [ETA] at the Fire/ICP check-in.
[link - Map link: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/ ]
Dispatcher will email Resource Order [RO].
(a) At the time of acceptance of the assignment, the following information will be given to the Contractor:
(1) Incident / Project #Number
(2) Incident / Project Name
(3) Date & Time to Report to Incident
(4) Location-Report, Navigation / Reporting Instruction
(5) Incident contact phone number for further information.
(6) Special Needs: *will take sooner, etc..
Dispatch Priority
Each host dispatch center will give dispatch priority to the resource offering the greatest advantage:
-For Initial attack [IA] dispatchers will follow the "closest forces" concept & utilize locally available resources according to agency & incident needs.
The priority dispatch ranking may not be used during initial attack and Contractor resources may or may not be used.
For prescribed fire project work, dispatchers and ordering units, based on project needs and funding, can employ a local project work commuting area restriction where the ordered resource(s) as listed within the Schedule of Items (SOI) must be within a local commuting distance equates to a maximum radius of 50 miles or a distance that the contractor can reasonably be expected to travel back and forth daily to the project work site as determined by the ordering unit.
-Tribal preference policy established within reservation jurisdiction.
-Upon receipt of a resource order by a host dispatch center, Government Dispatchers will not hold the Contractor resources in reserve as a contingency force in a non-pay status when that resource is available.
If the Contractor cannot be reached or is not able to meet the time and date needed, the dispatcher may proceed with contacting the next resource on the dispatch priority list.
Ranking / Dispatch Priority List [DPL]
Since wildland fire are unknown at time of award.
Following Agreement award, each host dispatch center will have an established dispatch priority list.
The Government intends to dispatch contractor resources based on this priority ranking for assignments other than initial attack and prescribed fire project work.
Dispatch Priority List placement- All resources/engines will be ranked on a dispatch priority list by Host Dispatch Zone.
The factors that Determine the placement in which order will engines to called for dispatch.
‣ Bid price for engine daily use, lowest price awarded resources highest on the dispatch list.
‣ SocioEconomic status advantage will be given to those small business concerns identified in Block 10.
‣Advantages point-value Attributes: Engines ~Gallons Hauled; ~Pump Performance; ~Age/Year;
~Foam Proportioner System;
Driving to Incident
Driver Hour Limitation: No driver will drive more than 10 hours (behind the wheel/actual driving
time) within any duty day/operational period.
Multiple drivers in a single vehicle- may drive up to the duty-day limitation provided no driver exceeds the individual driving time (behind the wheel/actual driving time) limitation of 10 hours.
A driver shall drive only if they have had at least 8 consecutive hours off duty before beginning a shift. An exception to the minimum off-duty hour requirement is allowed when essential to:
(1) Accomplish immediate and critical suppression objectives; or
(2) Address immediate and critical firefighter or public safety issues.
As stated in the current agency work/rest policy, documentation of mitigation measures used to reduce fatigue is required for personnel who exceed 16 hour work shifts.
This is required regardless of whether the driver was still compliant with the 10 hour individual (behind the wheel) driving time limitations.
Prior to departing for the incident, the Contractor shall provide to dispatch the complete name of each person dispatched with the contractor equipment
Availability
The Contractor is required to status their own availability and unavailability by using the self-status function in the Incident Resource Ordering Capability Program (IROC) database.
When contract resources are unavailable, the resources will not be eligible for dispatch under the Agreement.