Incident Strategic Alignment Process (ISAP)

Creating shared understanding between incident responders at all levels.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • The 2024 ISAP AGOL Web Experience is still accessible:  https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f9d7f7f920494c3db43a23a8dffe4664/page/ISAP/  With ongoing fire activity, we have not yet archived this service. The 2025 NIFS is linked to the 2024 ISAP AGOL Experience.
  • There will be a new feature service built for the peak 2025 season. It is estimated that it will be available for use by April/May 2025. We will post updates on this story map as things progress.
  • We are planning on developing a training platform in addition to the production platform of this service for 2025. More to come...
  • Scroll to the right through all the tabs to find a link to reference materials, guides, worksheets, etc., along with how to contact SME with questions or support requests.

Overview & Four Pillars

The Incident Strategic Alignment Process (ISAP) was created due to national recognition that Incident Management Teams (IMT) historically had very different methodology and products to capture and share risk-related information. ( NMAC Correspondence 2017-07 )

As best practices were developed to provide an effective consistent and repeatable process for assessing and communicating risk, the terms used morphed during testing and development. This work formally began in 2021 as the Strategic Risk Assessment (SRA). Adjustments began during the first pilot season when it was recognized that the process needed to be more encompassing. We couldn't assess risk without determining what strategies needed to be considered, thus Strategic Operations (StratOps) grew and was formalized in 2022. After a second pilot season, the relationship between the subcomponents of SRA and StratOps became bonded and retitled into the partnership name of the "Incident Strategic Alignment Process."

The ISAP is a culmination of both SRA & Strat Ops and is founded on Four Pillars. When applied to an incident the concepts of the ISAP assist in creating a shared understanding between incident responders at all levels. This process can facilitate meaningful risk dialogue and foster alignment, focus efforts and help to prioritize work.

On October 30, 2023 the NWCG Executive Board issued a tasking ( NWCG Tasking TM-23-003 Standards for ISAP ) for an interagency task group to develop standards for the Incident Strategic Alignment Process "to ensure strategic thought process and alignment of management actions is occurring between Agency Administrators, fire management organizations, and Incident Management Teams throughout the duration of an incident."

What is ISAP (These videos were developed in 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products since recording)

The ISAP is equally effective for wildland fire and all-hazard incidents, across agencies, or for multi-agency incidents.

Why ISAP?

Facilitated and focused conversations between IMTs, Subject Matter Experts and Agency Administrators foster common understanding and alignment.

  • True risk-informed decisions.
  • Defining acceptable risk on incidents with conflicting vales.
  • Risk ownership at appropriate levels.
  • Sensemaking - understanding the criteria with which we measure our decision(s).
  • Alignment & Communication using common methodologies, language, definitions, and products.
  • Strategy that transcends transitions (IMT & AA).

Message for Agency Administrator

Choose to Think Differently


Four Pillars

1.Critical Values at Risk - WHY are we here?

2.Strategy & Strategic Actions – WHAT are we doing & HOW are we going to do it?

3.Responder Risk – SHOULD we do it?

4.Probability of Success – CAN we be successful?

Diagram of the ISAP Four Pillars

Scalability

ISAP by title implies a "process" which leads you to believe that you must follow a linear methodology or set up steps from beginning to achieve your end state. This NOT the case, rather the ISAP is an approach. A series of progressive and interdependent actions to achieve the end state however the path may look and feel different to serve the needs of a particular incident and those managing it.

  • Each strategy meeting may look different and could range from 10 - 90 minutes depending upon what needs to be discussed.
  • There is no set agenda - IMT to identify what NEEDS to be discussed to ensure alignment
  • Should look slightly different for every incident. Incident rhythm and complexity should dictate what needs to be discussed at strategy meetings, along with the frequency and duration of the discussions.
  • May use forms or maps to capture conversation - think about durability and transferability
  • There are two main gatherings within the ISAP. The Critical Values at Risk conversation covers Pillar 1, and Strategy Meetings which encompass parts of Pillar 1, but fold in Pillars 2, 3 & 4. The Strategy Meeting(s) bring everything together in one discussion.

Strategy Meeting

1) Critical Values at Risk

"Critical Values" are those that an Agency Administrator or Deciding Official would ask responders to accept an elevated level of meaningful risk to protect (values that guide your actions and/or shape major decision) or those values that will drive strategy while lesser values or assets may influence tactics.

ISAP Pillar 1 - Part 1 (These videos were developed in 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products since recording)

The Critical Values at Risk (CVAR) conversation is the first step because incident responders cannot fully understand their tasking(s) if they do not have the WHY. This will launch the IMT in the right direction early by defining the priorities.

Suggestions

Timing: prior to strategy conversations; as soon as possible after in brief and/or TOC. Recommended Day 1, but may even be before TOC and at Day 0.

Participation: AA from current and anticipated jurisdictions, local FMO, other local org. reps, IC, OSC, SOF, notetaker (i.e. PSC, PIO). Container conversation to gain trust & allow open discussion on value ratings/priorities.

Facilitator: The IC may facilitate this conversation, or have another member of the Command & General Staff there to facilitate in order for the IC to be able to focus on listening to the discussion. Each IMT will need to find what works best for them.

Resources/References: RMA Analytics: (PODs w/Summary – cNVC Assets & drinking water, HUD & WUI); specialists, LTAN/FBAN products to determine scope of values conversation, (FSPro, NTFB, STFB), READs, other local experts.

Handouts/ISAP Tools needed: SRA Values Tab to capture details, the Definitions/Terminology handout (Excel Tab) for each participant (see Reference Material), and a map (digital or hard copy)

Set-Up: Operations Map (paper or electronic); markers/highlighters; SRA Product Form (Values Tab); project or post map/values list on wall for group to gather around (circle chairs or stand around)

Info to Capture: For each value deemed Critical by AA: What is it? Where is it? What makes it special? Severity Rating from the Blue section of the definition handout (see Reference Materials). The AA are responsible for the values and should provide the information. The IMT members should listen to understand the unique nature of the shared items and clarifying questions as needed to ensure alignment around each one.

END STATE: Engage in a conversation that compiles a list of agency’s(ies) CVARs (capturing locations on map) with descriptions of what makes that value “critically” important. Collect a severity rating from the AA as to the level of impact the fire would have on each value (refer to Terminology & Definitions: Reference Materials). This is the IMT first step to developing a common operating picture and setting priorities early for resource allocation.

This initial exercise will capture most of the critical values, but will likely need to be repeated if the planning area expands, or other conditions change. For additional information and prompts they may assist with this conversation see the ISAP User Guide (see Reference Material).

"It's values-driven strategies that we need to use – if we don’t know what those are we might as well pack up and go home.” -Incident Commander

The participation of Agency Administrators and local units are a critical component of the ISAP.


2) Strategy & Strategic Actions

Strategic Operations (StratOps) is a deliberate process for IMTs to formulate sound strategies that consider the best available science, observation & collective experiences, and collaborative planning techniques (PODs, pre-attack plans).

Strategies are developed and can be divided into 2-5 Strategic Actions that address the unique incident needs.

Strategic Actions are portions of the overall strategy which have similar proposed or planned actions to protect an identified critical value or group of values within a certain geographic area.

Strategic Actions clearly articulate the end state, purpose, and task of a portion of the incident that needs discussion around the balance between responder risk and critical values. The How, Where, Who and Why of the plan.  These Action statements should tie to incident objectives, ICS 204 work assignments and Ops briefings. These strategic actions should align with or inform updates to the WFDSS course of action. They will frame each strategy conversation to help focus the discussion. 

NOTE - Not all fires may need to be analyzed at this level, nor does the entire fire perimeter of an incident necessarily need to be scrutinized. Focus on the areas where there is decision space.

ISAP Pillar 2: Strategy & Strategic Actions (These videos were developed in 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products since recording)

Suggestions

Timing: the Strategic Actions are drafted prior to the strategy meeting(s). This work and/or conversations prior to the IMTs strategy meeting is critical and often referred to as "Hallway Homework." At the strategy meeting(s) operations will describe the strategic actions so others in attendance have an understanding of the operational plan.

Participation: Ops, Air Ops, Safety, FBAN/LTAN, IMET. Operations, Air Ops and Safety should be tied together as strategies are being developed, so that safety is not left to mitigate away the effects of a poor strategy. FBAN/LTAN/IMET help to inform the probability of impact ratings as part of the strategic risk assessment.

Facilitator: Operations should lead these discussions both prior to and at the strategy meetings.

Resources: RMA Analytics (SDI, PCL, Snag Hazard, Ground Evac); ground truthing & local experts; fire history

Set-Up: Display map showing strategic lines

END STATE: It is useful at each strategy meeting to have Operations remind attendees of the full perimeter's strategy and how it is broken into subcomponents or SAs. Operations then can highlight which action(s) will be focused on during that particular discussion. This would include identifying the actions are being proposed, where they are being proposed, what type/kind/number of resources are needed to accomplish the actions, and the duration it will take to complete the work. The strategy is developed and then communicated to rest of the IMT & AA ensuring a common understanding of the actions and what it will take to accomplish them.

Combining data mined from dialogue in the SRA process, Risk Management Assistance (RMA) analytics, collective experiences and local factors, quickly provides IMTs and Agency Administrators a clear, understandable strategy displayed on a map consistent with Leaders Intent, and WFDSS.

NOTE - It is important that overall during an incident response and use of ISAP, P1-2-3-4 is the way to work through the overall process, but many strategy meetings often begin with discussing Pillar 2, the identified SA to focus on that session, then the P1 values that fall within the geographic area of that highlighted SA, followed by P3 & 4.


4 Levels of Risk Management

3) Risks to Responders

Foundational Risk Principles

  • Risk can be succinctly defined as a “measure of the probability and consequence of uncertain future events” Risk = Probability and Consequences (USDA Forest Service RMRS-GTR-349. 2016)
  • Risk assessment is a “product or process that collects information and assigns values (relative, qualitative, or quantitative) to risks for the purpose of informing priorities, developing or comparing courses of action, and informing decision making.” As a product: A focused collection of data, information, results, and reports that characterize wildland fire risk relevant to the appropriate scale. As a process: A set of activities that identify, analyze, and evaluate wildland fire risk across spatial, temporal, and management scales (USDA Forest Service RMRS-GTR-349. 2016). Within the ISAP, use of "SRA" is referring to the physical assessment product (SRA Excel Form) developed to collect this information.
  • A primary goal of any risk management process is to close the gap of uncertainty.
  • Four responses to identified risks: Accept, Avoid, Transfer or Reduce

The ISAP considers 6 major risk influencers which are common mechanisms of injury on wildland fire that have been identified themes that group individual hazards into categories and help focus discussions and ratings at a more strategic level: wider geography, multiple tasks, diversity of resources over longer durations than historically used operational period risk assessments. However all 4 levels of risk management feed into the ISAP. Once the strategic actions are identified information is gathered and discussed to inform the responder risk ratings.

6 Major Risk Influencers

  • Ground Transportation
  • Fire Behavior Hazards
  • Hit-by & Gravity Hazards
  • Aviation Operations
  • Human Factors
  • Medical Response & Capability

ISAP Pillar 3 (These videos were developed in 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products since recording)

Suggestions

Timing: Some discussion may need to take place as Hallway Homework prior to a strategy meeting. At the Strategy Meeting the Safety or meeting facilitator will request information be shared regarding the risk influencers and initial responder risk ratings for each strategic action being discussed. This should trigger conversation around the risks, allow the reasoning behind ratings to be understood and provide an opportunity to discuss risk mitigations.

Participation: IMT C&G, Medical Unit, Air Ops, FBAN, IMET, AA, Local FMO, key cooperators, others at IC discretion

Facilitator: Hallway Homework portions of this pillar are often led by the Safety, but the strategy meeting facilitator should be predetermined by the IMT (PSC, LOFR, SOF, PIO, etc.) The IMT may want to identify 1-3 different facilitators for strategy meetings in case primary is unavailable.

Resources: RMA Analytics (Snag Hazard, Ground Evac), ground truthing; local experts, IMT SME: LSC, PSC, PIO, FSC, field assets (Pilots, IHC, etc.)

Set-Up: Handouts; chairs arranged in circular or u-shape fashion; map projected; SRA product projected (see Reference Material)

END STATE: Using a strategic lens, create a shared understanding of the responder risk associated with protecting the CVARs. Identify if the balance between values and responder risk is acceptable.

This conversation ties in directly to the 215R (or A) done daily for the next operational period.  That is the opportunity to unpack each Risk Influencer theme into the subparts that present specific hazards to responders and should be messaged as relevant to operational work each shift.

“You can’t mitigate away all risk...If it's risky, say so.” - Incident Commander

“It’s clear we can’t remove all of the risk. The question now comes back to the Agency Administrator to know if it is acceptable given the work we are looking at and the values we’re trying to protect.” -Incident Commander

Ongoing conversations about risk

4) Probability of Success

This pillar is vital to understanding if there is alignment and agreement to move forward with implementation. Discussion should include factors that will work in favor of success, as well as those that could hamper the ability to implement the work successfully.

ISAP Pillar 4: Probability of Success (These videos were developed in 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products since recording)

Suggestions

Timing: This discussion should take place towards the end the strategy meeting.

Participation: IMT, AA, ALL

Resources: RMA Analytics (PCL, SDI, Snag Hazard, Season Ending Predictions), Seasonal assessment, weather forecasts, available resources, FSPro & other fire behavior modeling, resource availability

Set-Up: Ensure participants focus on identifying potential failure points. Articulate what needs to go right, and what might go affect plans success.

END STATE: There is alignment around what it will take to be successful, and what might result in failure.

Defining success along with understanding the challenges, risks and opportunities are a key component of developing a sound strategy.

What's in it for me?

This section serves as a function-by-function breakdown of things to consider, prepare for, questions to ask and/or general things you may contribute or glean from the ISAP and conversations.

Agency Administrators

  • Define success or end-state early & set IMT up for success
  • Leverage pre-season work (PODs) & local knowledge
  • Ensure shared risk tolerances and acceptance of risks (to values and responders)
  • Understanding of factors contributing the P(success)
  • Improved partner relations
  • Less deferred risk decisions

ISAP for Agency Administrators

"Models like the SRA give us information, but we still make the decisions. This fosters the conversation needed to make the best decisions." -- Agency Administrator Representative

"Many people think you address risks as an aftermath of strategy selection. The alignment and involvement need to start as strategies are being considered – much earlier on. The SRA engagement & transparency eliminate the myth that risks to responders aren’t considered until strategies are selected.”  -Agency Administrator

“From an Agency Administrator perspective the SRA really highlights what the level of responder risk is when we say protect this lookout or watershed. It allows me to be better informed and SRA provides a platform that I can better identify my risk tolerance for the Strategy”. -Agency Administrator

Unit Fire Managers

  • Define success or end-state early & set IMT up for success
  • Leverage pre-season work (PODs) & local knowledge
  • Ensure shared risk tolerances and acceptance of risks (to values and responders)
  • Understanding of factors contributing the P(success)
  • Improved partner relations
  • Less deferred risk decisions

IMT Members

Incident Commander & Liaison Officer

  • Clear understanding of the values
  • Able to effectively articulate strategy to partners, cooperators and public
  • Better alignment throughout IMT
  • Earlier evacuation planning
  • Able to clearly communicate intent

“I sleep better at night knowing the whole team is communicating and on the same page.”  -IC

Operations:

  • Values based strategy
  • Better line placement
  • Less unnecessary line construction & responder exposure
  • Durable strategy
  • Identifies blind spots early
  • Better briefings and communication between resources

“This process is more collective and transparent and gets the whole team – and local components – pointing in the same direction right out of the gate.” -Operations

Safety:

  • Informing development of strategy, not just mitigating risk for selected actions
  • Understanding the Risk/Reward Balance
  • Better understanding of staffing needs
  • Field safeties under the "WHY"

Planning:

  • Values based objectives
  • Alignment between WFDSS & 204s
  • Improved products (IAP/Maps)
  • Reduction in map products
  • Improved 209 inputs
  • Ahead of demobilization needs
  • Ahead on staffing needs

Information:

  • Improved messaging of the "WHY"
  • Earlier notifications
  • Proactive development of key messages for potential issues
  • Ahead on section staffing needs based on strategy

Logistics:

  • Able to set up long-term communication network
  • Long-term facility needs known
  • Ahead on unit staffing needs based on strategy i.e. Ground Support, Medical
  • Operational resource needs will help to inform meal numbers, supply needs, etc.

Finance:

  • Improved cost projections
  • Proactive LUA execution
  • Able to project cost-share needs
  • Improved claims projections
  • Ahead of any financial threshold triggers (WFDSS ceiling)
  • Ahead of demobilization needs

“All IMT members need to be intentional about how they take this information and inform their processes.” -IC

Incident Responders

  • Understand the "WHY" (values)
  • Improved real-time risk decisions
  • Better understanding of how much risk to take for the value

FAQs

Question: I’ve heard the Strategic Risk Assessment (SRA) is going away, is that true? And what is ISAP?

Answer: No, the Strategic Risk Assessment (SRA) is not going away.  ISAP stands for Incident Strategic Alignment Process, and it does NOT REPLACE, but incorporates the concepts of both SRA and StratOps.  It could be viewed as the overarching process which contains the other processes within in.

Question: What is the Strategic Risk Assessment (SRA)?

Answer: A risk assessment is a “product or process that collects information and assigns values (relative, qualitative, or quantitative) to risks for the purpose of informing priorities, developing or comparing courses of action, and informing decision making.” As a product: A focused collection of data, information, results, and reports that characterize wildland fire risk relevant to the appropriate scale. As a process: A set of activities that identify, analyze, and evaluate wildland fire risk across spatial, temporal, and management scales (USDA Forest Service RMRS-GTR-349. 2016). Within the ISAP, use of "SRA" is referring to the product (SRA Excel Form) developed to collect this information.

Question: What is Strategic Operations?

Answer: Strategic Operations is NOT a position, but instead are the necessary tasks and work required to be completed to develop durable and effective strategy.  Trends were identified that showed the most effective strategies are developed using 1) collaborative planning techniques 2) observation (ground truthing) & collective experience and 3) best available science.  

Question: Values can be found in WFDSS, why do we need to have additional Critical Values at Risk (CVAR) Conversations?

Answer:  WFDSS  is a critical decision support tool, but the datasets within the system for values can contain hundreds of points/lines/polygons.  The goal of the Critical Values at Risk conversation within the ISAP is to narrow the list down to just that handful of truly “critical” values that you would ask responders to take on an elevated level of risk to protect.  These things are so important that it helps drive strategy, rather than just tactical decisions.

Question: Who defines the severity of impact to values?

Answer: The AA (if detailed, may need assistance from local staff) must identify and own the severity rating to the identified critical values at risk.  IMT should not make these determinations but do need to understand the importance of each value and the consequences if impacted.  This assists the IMT with effectively developing strategy and allocating resources in the right places.  

 Probability of impact ratings for CVARs are informed by local fire management experience, IMT Subject Matter Experts (SME), and analytics available. The timeframes of the strategic actions may also inform probability ratings.

Question: What is a Strategic Action?

Answer: Developing and articulating “a” strategy for the entire fire may be too much.  Within the ISAP it is recommended to look at portions of the incident where similar tactics may be employed to protect the critical values identified.  These “portions” being discussed are defined as Strategic Actions.

 How to identify an area as a Strategic Action often comes naturally.  Perhaps one side of the fire is impacting private land and communities, while the other is moving towards a Wilderness area. These could be framed up as 2 different strategic actions.  Most fires have anywhere from 2-5 Strategic Actions at most.

 Many times the Strategic Action is written with End state “Keep the fire west of FS road 92 and Quail Ridgeline” Purpose “to protect the community of Arden and surrounding private land values” Task “Utilizing a combination of indirect Fireline and natural barriers.

 Each Strategic Action identifies what actions are to be taken; the geographic location being evaluated for those actions; the number/kind/type of resources needed to implement the actions compared with the number of resources currently available; and the number of days it will take to complete.

 Having well-developed Strategic Actions allow an IMT and AA to then discuss responder risk at the strategic level, opposed to only looking at operational risks for the next shift and identifying mitigations to be implemented.  This is where the conversation may lead to discussing if the IMT should implement the identified actions based on the balance and acceptance of risk to both values and responders, along with the Probability of Success.

Question: Where can I find more information on analytics that will help to inform my strategy?

Answer: LTANs/FBANs/SOPLs are fantastic resources to provide analytics and data that will help inform strategy, but they are limited in number nationally, often support numerous fires at one-time, or may not be available at all.  When these analysts are not available the work of locating, interpreting and using the “best available science” to develop strategy falls back to the Operations group.

 The Risk Management Assistance (RMA) Dashboard is an extremely useful tool for gathering information that will help inform strategy.  The RMA Dashboard can be reached using the following link:  https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f9d7f7f920494c3db43a23a8dffe4664 

 There is still a suite of traditional products like FSPro, NTFB, fuels/weather data available, but in last 6+ years a more robust list of tools have been developed.  The RMA group continues to use science to improve and develop products each season.

Question: What might constitute a 7 th  major Risk Influencer on an incident?

Answer: There is space on the SRA product to input and discuss a 7 th  Risk Influencer.  There will be certain incidents where there is a specific hazard that needs to be discussed but doesn’t fit squarely within one of the pre-identified 6 major risk influencers.  This could be something like “smoke” and could be discussed and evaluated on its own as a 7 th .  When looking at an additional responder risk, think about what major risk could cause you to take a pause with the current strategy and look at alternatives. 

Question: What do risk ratings mean? How do we or should we use risk ratings?

Answer: First off, the final rating for any of the risk influencers is not as important as the discussion is around each.  For each, the conversations should include dialogue about the contributing factors which led the group to land on each severity and probability rating.

 Any high or extremely high-risk rating for responders should be openly acknowledged and perhaps discussed in more depth to ensure that common understanding and collective acceptance of that risk, especially if the decision is made to proceed with implementation of the discussed strategic action. This discussion should include a look at the balance between those higher responder risk ratings and the risks to the values.  Does protection of those critical values warrant taking on the level of responder risk identified?

Question: Does the SRA form replace the 215A/215R?

Answer: No, while the two efforts both assess risk, identify hazards and mitigations, the current 215A/215R is used to assess operational risk specifically for the next shift (operational period) and the SRA looks at risk through a strategic lens, over a longer period of time, wider geography, combinations of tactics and a variety of resources doing the work.

 When used together, the longer-term SRA perspective tiers to the more specific and detailed risks in the 215A/R for the next tasks that link together for the overall strategy.  The SRA responder risk discussion should inform what is populated on the 215A/215R. During the SRA unique mitigations surface during the sensemaking dialog.  They are captured on the SRA product and can strengthen the operational risk tool 215A/215R when cross referenced.

 This more robust responder risk conversation helps to inform AA, IMT and responders, providing a more clear and informed potential risk package based on protecting truly critical values.  This included understanding the collective goal(s), the timeline and plan to reach the goal(s), along with the number and kinds of resources doing the work.

 Additionally, the SRA this is not exclusively a Safety/Operations tool as the 215A/215R have historically been.  It brings multiple perspectives into the conversation to remove the maximum amount of uncertainty in our decision making.

Question: Do we evaluate responder risk “pre” or “post” mitigations?

Answer: Responder Risk ratings are all evaluated post mitigation.  When discussing the risk ratings during an SRA meeting, the identified mitigations should be shared, and captured on the product as well.

 That said, mitigations evolve, and we should continuously validate and confirm our efforts to reduce risk.

Question: How do we measure success? Who defines this?

Answer: If we define success as the lack of a bad outcome, we cannot measure our progress towards it until after the fact. To have a forward-looking set of objectives these must be informed by sound strategy. Once we have created risk informed strategy, we can construct objectives tailored to measure our progress, or lack thereof, towards it. Thoughtfully crafted, SMART objectives are critical to measuring success. The ISAP process allows for strategy to inform objectives in a collaborative, iterative process based on the best available data, which in turn allows for progress towards achieving success to be measured.

Question: Does this only work for wildland fire incidents, or is there an application for all-hazard incidents?

Answer: We have seen that this process has applications outside of wildland fire.  The concepts and process can certainly be applied to an all-hazard environment.  The major risk influencers may need to be adjusted for these types of incidents, but the 4 pillars and associated concepts remain applicable.

 Several non-incident related planning efforts have also used the concepts of ISAP.  Examples include assessing staffing levels; planning for post fire flood mitigation; planning for IA response with limited resources; project prioritization based on values, actions/needs/timing of implementation, and probability of litigation.

Question: Does the ArcGIS (AGOL) ISAP Web Experience tool auto-populate the SRA Excel Product?

Answer: No, the AGOL ISAP tool does not auto populate the SRA Excel Product. 

 Currently the Excel spreadsheet and the ArcGIS Online (AGOL) ISAP web experience are not connected, and likely will never be.  The excel SRA product is a very effective way to easily document the conversation in a 1-page format and captures significant information shared by AA and IMT members, while the AGOL tool simply supports the conversation by providing a spatial display of the Critical Values at Risk, Strategic Lines, Strategic Action areas, that can be visually overlaid with RMA analytics to help explain different strategies or risk ratings being discussed.

 The ISAP Web Experience has also proven to be an effective tool for strategic planning and provides some efficiencies for data transfer between Operations and the Situation Unit.

Question: Does ISAP replace WFDSS?

Answer: WFDSS is the official decision support platform for all Federal wildfires, and ISAP does not replace it. The intent of WFDSS is to have a scalable decision support system for agency administrators. It uses appropriate fire behavior modeling, economic principles, and information technology. It supports effective wildland fire decisions consistent with Resource and Fire Management Plans.

 ISAP is a process for IMT to facilitate a conversation with AA that builds from the parameters that WFDSS frames up (Planning Areas, Incident Requirements, Incident Objectives, Course of Actions)

 Information discussed through ISAP will assist AA in refreshing the next decision in WFDSS with current actions.

Question: Is ISAP integrated into WFDSS, or will it be?

Answer: Currently the ISAP process is not integrated into the WFDSS software system.  WFDSS is the official decision support platform for all Federal wildfires. WFDSS also contains a tremendous amount of information, some of which definitely overlaps with what may be discussed during the ISAP process and an SRA meeting. 

 What has been discovered is that the amount and quality of the information published in WFDSS decisions can vary greatly depending upon the author’s knowledge of the system or what critical information an IMT will need.  Initially the level of documentation in a decision is not always commensurate with the incident complexity, cost, and/or potential duration and spread, so ISAP can support improving the level of documentation by having a robust conversation around risk to values and risk to responders. 

 In addition, the number of values identified in a decision may be large and may not necessarily leave the team with an understanding of which are most critical or provide enough specifics about the values.  The ISAP process provides a method of ensuring the critical values are flushed out (verified, comprehensive and up-to-date) and the value of the values is explained by the AA, and that the IMT truly understands the severity of impact or consequences if a particular critical value is impacted. 

 This deliberate conversation, along with the ISAP responder risk discussion often can support the WFDSS or improve the quality of the decision documentation within WFDSS.

 At times, the ISAP process may also highlight discrepancies between the operational strategy being developed/discussed/implemented and the course of action identified in the WFDSS decision.  This again provides an opportunity to improve alignment between the AA and IMT.

 The SRA Product can up uploaded into WFDSS through as supporting documentation.

Question: Why does each Strategic Action combine all tasks/tactics and the related hazards anticipated to implement that Action?

Answer: The strategy meeting strives to makes sense of the entire scope of work related to each Strategic Action.  This conversation can be compared with cumulative effects in NEPA.  You cannot take a single task and measure impacts (risk) without considering how actions interact.  Prepping a shaded fuel break may include heavy equipment, hand felling and burning, etc. and the components potentially cause ripple effects or compound hazards.  As we look at responder risk the timeframe is focused on the duration defined in Pillar 2 in accomplishing the strategic action. As an example: While 215A/R address burn-over/entrapment hazard at a tactical level, examining Rapid Fire Growth as a larger risk influencer includes all resources working on the Action over the anticipated duration of the work (multiple shifts or even multiple IMTs) across the landscape where the work is occurring. It examines relevancy as fire season ebbs/flows, fuels conditions change, national resource availability, and weather event predictability. 

Question: Who is responsible for facilitating a strategy conversation?

Answer: Engagement by both the IMT and AA is critical to have effective strategy meetings, but this is designed as an IMT tool, and therefore the strategy meetings are facilitated by the IMT.

 Each IMT identifies anywhere from 1-4 team members with the right personality and skills to act as facilitators for the strategy meetings.  It is recommended that teams have at multiple personnel familiar and comfortable in this role in case the primary facilitator is not available for a particular assignment. 

 To identify the right facilitator for your IMT, you should look at individuals’ skills, and not necessarily their position on the team.  A facilitator should have command presence and time management skills of course, but more importantly needs good active listening skills, the ability to frame questions that inspire dialogue and conversation, be able engage multiple viewpoints into the conversation, and remain objective throughout.  Having multiple people identified and prepared to facilitate also diversifies the way questions are asked &conversations are held.

Question: How will we make time for a new process within our IMT’s planning cycle?

Answer: It is likely that many of the components or concepts of the ISAP already exist within your IMT’s process but may be less formalized or consistent.

 Many of these discussions already take place, but happen in “silos”, instead of being inclusive of all the right voices.  Silo work limits the effectiveness of ensuring a common understanding and buy-in at ALL levels of the incident. 

 The process and products should be used in a consistent manner by IMT, but each team is able to personalize when to specifically schedule meetings into their planning cycle, who might facilitate the conversations, or how messages are incorporated and shared with all responders.  IMT may need to look at what existing meetings they have scheduled and discuss opportunities to replace or re-work an existing meeting with a strategy meeting that includes the SRA conversation.  Your IMT may decide to add a strategy meeting time within your planning cycle. 

 Strategy meetings do not have to be done every single day while on incident.  These are “as needed” and should be dependent upon the incident complexities and challenges that need to be discussed. The entire fire perimeter may not need to be included, but instead time should be spent focusing on areas where there is the most decision space or no straight forward response.

 Learning a new process may feel less efficient initially, but in the long term will prove to not only be more efficient, but also more effective in communicating critical information from the AA to the boots on the ground.

Question: How frequently do you use the ISAP on incident?

Answer: The concepts of ISAP occur on every incident however the need for formal strategy meetings with SRA conversations is dictated by the incident complexities.  SRA conversations may only be needed one time for each strategic action unless significant changes occur.  In some circumstances, SRA conversations may only be needed for portions of the fire perimeter.  Focus should be given to the areas of the fire with the most decision space, complexity, or challenge.  Time is valuable on incidents and SRA conversations should be focused on the challenges ahead not necessarily on cold portions of the fire or areas close to meeting objectives.  Some examples of situations that would indicate the need for a strategy meeting with the SRA may include evaluating a long duration strategy, misalignment between jurisdictions, when there are multiple options to meet objectives, when there is no clear answer to meet objectives or when there is a need to develop or implement contingency plans.     

Question: What do we do with the documentation?  Where does it live?

Answer: Documentation is a critical piece to ensuring information is not lost on incidents.  The SRA form is a simple and used to store and share everything discussed during the ISAP and can easily be transferred between IMT. 

 The SRA form is not currently identified in the edoc box master index list (NWCG Incident Planning Subcommittee is working on this), but IMT should ensure these documents are filed and the location of the files is passed on to the incoming team or host unit when your team demobilizes.  It is recommended that during the transition between teams, the list of CVARs is discussed along with the different Strategic Actions so the incoming team is armed with all the relevant information.

 Remember – these conversations, products that document decisions, and questions or concerns uncovered by each IMT is vital to be saved and shared over the life of the incident – this durability helps with decision efficiency, strategy success, value protection and responder health/safety.

Question: Is the ISAP documentation considered official incident documentation, and should we be concerned about any personal liability by documenting these types of conversations?

Answer: The ISAP products are considered official incident documentation.  

If you are operating within the scope of duty or your scope of employment, then your employer covers liability of any claims filed.  The ISAP conversations and documentation may even strengthen a case for why a decision was made when operating within the scope of duty, that resulted in personal injury or property loss/damage.

Question: How do I request coaching support while on an incident?

Answer: There is a small coordinating group assembled that identifies available coaches to support IMT assigned to incidents implement the ISAP process.  This group will contact the IC making the request and discuss needs, timing, schedule, etc.

 Coaching requests should be submitted by the IC, and the link below can be used to place a request:

 

Question: Who should be in the room during a Strategy meeting?

Answer: To have common understanding and alignment at all levels of an incident organization, it is imperative that you invite the right folks into the SRA meetings.  Recommended participation includes:

AA (all with jurisdictional responsibility within the planning area), IC, Command & General Staff, MEDL, AOBD, SOPL/LTAN, IMET.

 Every participant brings a different perspective or frame into the conversation, and to achieve alignment you must start with sensemaking.  We need to hear different perspectives and considerations to move forward with a common understanding.

Question: Does a Strategy meeting with the SRA conversation replace the cooperators/stakeholder meeting?

Answer: No, it does not replace the cooperators meeting.  The ISAP process and SRA does allow Agency Administrators to invite key stakeholders to the strategy meetings that would add value to the conversation specific to Critical Values at Risk and develop alignment around the 4 pillars.  

Question: Is the outcome of a strategy meeting a GO/NO GO decision?

Answer: The process is not meant to be/give a definitive decision on whether to engage resources on a specific Strategic Action or not.  The conversation fosters a risk-reward dialog and may highlight areas where decision makers feel the risk to responders exceeds the reward of protecting a Critical Value at Risk.  Where/when those circumstances occur, decision makers may request the development of an alternative Strategic Action to discuss the trade-offs in risk, probability of impact to values, and probability of success.    

Question: Is this only a Forest Service thing or a NIMO thing?

Answer: ISAP is an interagency process.  The USFS simply has had the capacity to dedicate a group of folks to continue to develop the process over the past several seasons based on the interagency feedback received directly from IMTs on incidents. There has been State/local, DOI and USFS SME involved in the early development of both SRA and Strategic Operations.  Many of the concepts adopted early on, came from the interagency IMT community.

Question: What training is available to improve my knowledge of this process?

Answer: Currently there is no formal curriculum developed for the ISAP.  Multiple socialization events have and are continuing to be conducted across the country to share information.  On incident coaching has been provided to IMTs upon request the past 3 seasons and will continue to be available in 2024. 

NWCG issued a tasking on October 30, 2023 for a task team to develop standards for ISAP moving forward, which will include inclusion in formal curriculum.  NWCG Tasking TM-23-003 Standards for ISAP 

 If an IMT would like to request information or coaching support, the IC can complete the form below:

ISAP is NOT:

  • It is NOT intended to be a one-stop shop to address all risk assessment needs across time and space.
  • It is NOT intended to address pre-season risks.
  • It is NOT a Safety-only tool.
  • It is NOT a replacement for the 215-R.
  • It does NOT replace other tools like Quantitative Wildfire Risk Assessment (QWRA), Potential Operational Delineations (PODS) databases, or Wildfire Decision Support System (WFDSS).  Rather, the SRA uses these tools to add information into the conversation and focuses attention more narrowly on a specific set of strategic actions and the critical nature of what is being protected.

Reference Material

The shortlink to share this website is  https://tinyurl.com/ISAPinfo 

ISAP Reference Materials are located and kept updated on the National IMRR FireNet Site at ISAP Reference Materials - National IMRR FireNet Site

The following resources are available via the button above:

  • ISAP User Guide
  • Strategic Risk Assessment (SRA) Worksheet - Excel
  • ISAP Terminology and Definitions
  • ISAP Cost Estimator

The Strategic Operations Map effectively displays an Incident Management Team’s (IMT) long-term strategy in managing an incident, and the data that informs the strategy. It consists of one or more large-format maps with an accurate, current, and detailed record of incident information across the entire planning area. The NWCG Strategic Operations Map Standards can be found at:  https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/pms936/map-product-standards/strategic-operations-map .

**If you have trouble accessing the links, please try a different browser**

The National IMRR MS Teams Firenet Site  (IMRR Firenet Team > 3B ISAP_SRA_StratOps Channel)  serves as a collaborative workspace for IMTs working with coaches to develop consistent processes. If you don't have a Firenet account, you can  request to join National IMRR FireNet Team as a guest .

SRA Form (These videos are from 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products for 2024)

SRA Form Summary Export (These videos are from 2023, and some minor changes have been made to products for 2024)

ISAP AGOL WEB EXPERIENCE Planning Tool

For questions or issues please submit a helpdesk request:  ISAP Help Desk Request Form 

ISAP geospatial products consist of a series of hosted feature services, a Strategic Operations web map template to deploy for use in Field Maps, and a web application for data editing and visualization.  

The purpose of these products is to support ISAP with minimal impact as possible to GISS. As such, the ISAP web application is the primary tool for data creation and editing of Critical Values at Risk, Strategic Lines, and Strategic Action data by Operations.  

ISAP GISS Edit Services exist for GISS to support Operations, however these services are secondary to the ISAP web application. In addition to Critical Values at Risk and Strategic Actions, ISAP GISS Edit Services in 2024 included Fire Spread Probability (FSPro) and Near Term Fire Behavior (NTFB) where GISS may be asked to load an analysis shapefile generated by an analyst to a service in ArcGIS Pro in order to display it for Operations in the ISAP web application. Work with your Situation Unit Leader to ensure you are using the appropriate analysis shapefile. 

Strategic Lines have been incorporated into the Event Line layer of the National Incident Feature Service (NIFS) through the inclusion of the Strategic Line Type attribute. Once the attribute is populated, a halo will appear under the Event Line to indicate that is considered a Strategic Line in terms of the incident strategy. In the ISAP web application only, Operations may indicate that an Event Line is considered a Primary, Secondary, or Proposed Strategic Line. GISS also have edit access to the Strategic Line Type attribute in the NIFS GISS Edit Service. 

The ISAP web application and Strategic Operations web map template are shared with the NIFC Org and can be accessed from the  ISAP Resources link  on the home page and will be linked to the RMA Dashboard in the future. ISAP GISS Edit Services are shared with the  GISS Edit group  – those who have access to the NIFS GISS Edit service also have access to the ISAP GISS Edit services. 

Please see the  ISAP Geospatial Guide for GISS  to use the ISAP GISS Edit services most effectively to support Operations through the Incident Strategic Alignment Process. This guide is linked on the Resources tab of the ISAP web application. The Strategic Operations Map standard can be found in GeoOps here:  Strategic Operations Map | NWCG.  

If you have suggestions for how to improve the ISAP AGOL WEB EXPERIENCE, please submit them through the following form, or use of the QR code below:  ISAP Web Experience Suggestion Form 

Tools and Tips

Use the right arrow below to scroll through additional tools and tips.

RMA Dashboard

Description:  The site is designed to be used by IMTs for risk informed strategic decision making.  It includes spatial products under the map viewer tab, weather information, season ending analysis tool, and historical fire information housed in the fire library.

Uses:  PCL, SDI, Ground Evac, Snag Hazard and POD layers are available in the map viewer.  The instructions page has a link to the SharePoint site where products/layers can be downloaded as KMLs and used in google earth.  The fire library has historical progression maps as well as other useful products past fires such as Structure protection plans and long-term assessments.  The Fire Weather Matrix tab allows users to create an IMET style 5-day matrix for any location.

  • No username or password required
  • You can also get layers to export to upload in other platforms from the dashboard.
  • Potential Control Locations (PCL), Suppression Difficulty Index (SDI), Snag Hazard, Ground Evacuation, Housing Density, and Potential Operational Delineations (POD) layers are available in the map viewer. 
  • The instructions page has a link to the SharePoint site where products/layers can be downloaded as KMLs and used in google earth. 
  • The fire library has historical progression maps as well as other useful products past fires such as Structure protection plans and long-term assessments. 
  • The Fire Weather Matrix tab allows users to create an IMET style 5-day matrix for any location.

National IMRR Firenet

The National  Incident Management Response Roundtable (IMRR)  Firenet Team  (IMRR Firenet Team > 3B ISAP_SRA_StratOps Channel)  serves as a collaborative workspace for IMTs working with coaches to develop consistent processes.

If you don't have a Firenet account, you can  request to join National IMRR FireNet Team as a guest .

ArcGIS Online (AGOL) Strategic Planning Tool

  • Developed to spatially display​ critical values, strategy & risk ​info - online map form​ that provides durable and ​ transferable information.
  • Username & password required
  • Click Sign in in upper right-hand corner
  • Username will be something like: firstlast_nifc.
  • This username and password will be the same you will use for the Field Maps App on your mobile devices.

Google Earth Pro

  • No username or password required
  • If not on your computer, go to the Software Center app (FS Employees) > Search for Google Earth in the search box in the top right-hand corner > Click on icon > Select Install
  • If not on your computer, go to the Software Center app (FS Employees) > Search for Google Earth in the search box in the top right-hand corner > Click on icon > Select Install
  • You can bring in  RMA dashboard  layers by tile into Google Earth, by going to the  RMA SharePoint Site  off the Instructions Tab in the Dashboard and finding the data you are looking for. (tile locater KMZ files are in the RMA Dashboard SharePoint Site Folders as well)

Automated Flight Following (AFF)

  • username & password required
  • Click Login: username is likely your agency email address
  • Click Register and complete form if you do not already have an account.
  • Once at Home Screen, click Launch AFF

Enterprise Geospatial Portal (EGP)

  • If you click on “Situation Analyst” if will take you to the maps, and you can switch between the different workspaces.
  • By expanding the information in each layer (clicking the little down arrow) and clicking “details” you can copy the URL from under the “LAYER SOURCE” heading and upload that information into the  RMA Dashboard 

Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS)

  • You can sign into either Production or Training from this page
  • Once signed in, if you click on the “Incidents” tab you can search a specific incident, toggle the radio button next to it, and click “View Information”. Then if you select the “Decisions” tab and toggle the decision you’d like to view you can click the “PDF” button to open the decision or download and save it.

Potential Operational Delineations

Engaging the Fire Before it Starts: proactive risk management

Other Reference Materials for Situational Awareness

Global wind, weather, ocean conditions map

  • No username or password required

Wind Speed Map

  • No username or password required

National 7-Day Significant Fire Potential

  • No username or password required

“The SRA is about dialog and shared understanding.” -Agency Administrator



“It provides a vocabulary and process – a common language to talk about difficult things in an easier way.” -IC



Contacts

The ISAP is equally effective for wildland fire and all-hazard incidents, across agencies, or for multi-agency incidents.

Facilitated and focused conversations between IMTs, Subject Matter Experts and Agency Administrators foster common understanding and alignment.

Diagram of the ISAP Four Pillars

Strategy Meeting

The participation of Agency Administrators and local units are a critical component of the ISAP.

4 Levels of Risk Management

Ongoing conversations about risk