Feral Jundi

     How do you apply standards and some kind of organization to a contracting industry that works in war zones? Here is a look at how another industry that deals with a very dangerous environment called fire, has worked out the problem. The Federal Fire Services. (I also posted this as a comment over at Jake’s site, and figured this needed a home here as well.)    

     The one experience I have with this, was when I was a smokejumper, dispatcher, and Incident Commander Type 4 in the federal fire services.  The government uses contractors to support fire operations on a regular basis–in fact they are highly dependent on them.  It is also a system that works.

     The fire industry is a lot like the war industry the more I think about it, and the fire industry went through the same problems of standardization.  The government had to figure out what was a governmental task and what could be contracted out in fire.

     Smokejumpers, Helitac, and Hotshot crews are still all government controlled, as well as most of the upper level Incident Command positions.  But these are areas that are constantly tested for possible privatization.  Although my belief is that those functions should remain governmental, and most agree on that in this industry.  But still, there are a lot of functions that can be contracted out for forest fire operations. Aviation stuff, like helicopters and fire bombers, to camp kitchens, to communications trailers, to hand crews and engines that help to mop up on fires or even assist in initial attack on a fire.  The Incident Commander of that fire makes the final call on all of it, and they determine if that company or federal/state unit is an asset or liability.  They can also kick people off of fires, or set up training for the various management positions for anyone on that incident.  

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