Southern Area Coordination Center

Southern Area Coordination Center The Southern Area Coordination Center provides interagency Wildland fire coordination and resource management for the Southern United States, working with federal, state, and local partners to support wildfire suppression, aviation, and logistical missions. It serves as a regional focal point connecting incident commanders, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel with aviation contractors, logistics providers, and emergency managers during high fire activity and disaster operations. The center integrates planning, readiness, and resource mobilization functions to support Incident Management Teams from agencies such as the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Overview

The center operates within the interagency framework established by the National Interagency Coordination Center and the National Incident Management System, coordinating allocation of airtankers, helicopters, and engine modules across states including Texas, Florida, Georgia (U.S. state), Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It maintains situational awareness through partnerships with the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, State Forestry Agencies, and regional dispatch centers such as the Southern Area Coordination Center (SACC) dispatch counterparts. The center aligns with national strategies from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and supports preparedness levels established by the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group.

Organization and Structure

Staffing includes Duty Officers, Resource Advisors, Aviation Managers, Logistics Specialists, and Geographic Area Coordinators drawn from the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and state agencies such as the Texas A&M Forest Service and Florida Forest Service. Leadership frequently interacts with representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (United States). Governance follows interagency agreements modeled after protocols from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Interagency Coordination Center to manage funding, reimbursements, and liability with entities like Aviation Contractors Association members and regional suppliers. The organizational structure supports integration with Incident Management Teams from Type 1 through Type 3, and coordinates training standards associated with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and qualifications listed in the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations.

Responsibilities and Operations

Primary duties encompass national resource ordering for extreme fire behavior events, prioritization of large airtanker and rotor-wing assignments, management of resource caches, and allocation of overhead such as Operations Section Chiefs and Logistics Chiefs drawn from Type 1 Incident Management Teams and regional teams like the Southern Area Blue Team. Real-time operations rely on data feeds from the Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC), remote sensing inputs from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer programs, and situational reports from Incident Command Post activations. The center also schedules interagency aviation resources, coordinates with fixed-wing contractors like legacy Large Air Tanker programs, and ensures compliance with safety directives from the Aviation Safety Program and guidance by the National Transportation Safety Board when applicable.

Coordination and Partnerships

The center establishes mutual aid agreements with state-level entities including the Georgia Forestry Commission, North Carolina Forest Service, and Kentucky Division of Forestry, and collaborates with national bodies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Interagency Fire Center. It engages with academic partners including University of Georgia, Texas A&M University, Clemson University, and research institutions affiliated with the United States Geological Survey and Forest Service Research and Development for fire behavior modeling, smoke management, and fuels treatment planning. Partnerships extend to private sector aviation firms, logistics contractors, and nonprofit stakeholders like The Nature Conservancy and National Wild Turkey Federation for landscape-scale mitigation and rehabilitation projects.

History and Notable Incidents

Origins trace to regional coordination needs highlighted after large fire seasons in the late 20th century and formalization under interagency policy aligning with the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review. The center played roles in responses to major events including the 2007 Southern United States wildfires, significant seasonal responses during the 2011 Texas wildfires, and multi-state mobilizations following hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Michael where the center coordinated debris-burning policy, firefighter deployment, and aviation support. It has supported complex incidents involving multiple jurisdictions, cooperating with incident commands from the National Park Service for fires in protected areas like Everglades National Park and with state-led responses to peat fires in the Louisiana swamplands.

Notable operational developments include adoption of centralized aviation scheduling modeled after national reforms following reviews by the National Transportation Safety Board and interagency aviation safety initiatives, and incorporation of remote sensing techniques promoted by NASA collaborations. The center’s evolution reflects broader shifts influenced by the National Fire Plan, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, and recommendations from commissions such as the Wildland Fire Leadership Council.

Category:Wildfire suppression agencies