Resource Ordering Status System
Encyclopedia
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group was formed in the United States as a result of the aftermath of a major wildfire season in 1970....
operates a nationwide, web-based database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
system for managing wildland firefighting
Wildland fire suppression
Wildfire suppression refers to the firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wildland areas requires different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated areas...
resources. The system, called National Interagency Resource Ordering and Status System or Resource Ordering and Status System, (or simply ROSS), improves efficiency of borrowing and sending home of fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
equipment in a large, campaign-type fire. It coordinates equipment movements across bureaucratic lines, making state and federal resources look more like a single pool of equipment and staff.
In the past, borrowing equipment and staff, called resources, from other agencies required people in a command center to place telephone calls and make radio inquiries to find out what was available. Some agencies had internal computer systems to manage equipment and staff moves but they could not exchange data with the systems of other agencies. This made processes produce non-repeatable results and was labor-intensive, tying up staff on the telephone during their busiest periods. ROSS speeds the process and gives system users an enhanced understanding of:
- what quantity of resources are assigned to a fire.
- what quantity of resources are on the way to the fire.
- how deeply their resources have been depleted by requests.
- how soon local equipment will return from a distant assignment.
Participating agencies include many state fire suppression organizations, and federal entities such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
, Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
, Department of the Interior, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
, National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, National Information Technology Center, and the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group membership is made up of representatives from each of these Federal land management agencies and the National Association of State Foresters.