Best Practices for TxDOT on Handling Wildfires [2011]

Details

• Creators:
  Nash, Phillip T. ; Senadheera, Sanjaya ; Beierle, Micah ; Kumfer, Wesley ; Wilson, Dannia
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas Tech University. Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas Department of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Best Practices Disaster Preparedness Emergency Management State Departments Of Transportation Training Wildfires
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-12-0-6735-1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Texas
• Edition:
  Interim Report June 2011-September 2011
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  The State of Texas suffered record-setting wildfires in 2011. More than 30,000 wildfires occurred, burning nearly four million acres. Although not directly responsible for fighting wildfires, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) provides valuable support during fire-fighting operations. The purpose of this research was to document lessons learned during recent wildfire events and to better define the role of TxDOT in responding to wildfires leading to guidance on best practices. Researchers collected information from a number of agencies responsible for emergency operations during wildfire response, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Forest Service, The Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, National Wildfire Coordination Group, and the Texas Interagency Coordination Center. Personnel from ten TxDOT districts were interviewed along with personnel from the Department of Public Safety, Texas Forest Service, Volunteer and Community Fire Departments, National Weather Service, and other City and County Officials. Questions used for the interviews covered categories of preparation, communication, responsibilities, and training. Many common responses were found, although several districts provided unique insights. Lack of reimbursement and concerns regarding safety during incident response were two main themes throughout the interviews. Best practices found during the study were collected, synthesized and presented to TxDOT employees in four regional workshops. These workshops were designed to address safety and effectiveness of TxDOT personnel in efforts to improve response to future wildfires.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-6735
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:990d9a374a11ad89d9d8aba9fdc2763c93baa4133e0cf7a203e3b440982cf947d3ffbbdfae4d38095f80cf81d457a6a328b94e7be286b6aec519dc42a4fae94f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89065/dot_89065_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 12.55 MB ]