USFS press release
The Inyo National Forest is conducting outreach to Eastern Sierra vendors, residents, and businesses who are interested in being available for incident response. Those who are interested will sign up and compete for emergency Incident Agreements that are open for solicitation in 2017.
Currently, when wildfires or other incidents occur in the Eastern Sierra, vendors who provide support resources are often located up to five hours away. “Having local vendors would not only benefit the Inyo National Forest and the timely support of its fire personnel on the line,” said Forest Supervisor Ed Armenta, “but it also has great potential to provide local residents with more business opportunities.”
During fire response, support personnel and equipment play an integral role in a successful outcome. A locally signed call-when-needed, 4WD pickup with driver to deliver supplies to incident crews can make a big difference in how efficiently an incident can be managed.
“We have engines, crews and aircraft,” said Interagency Fire Management Officer Taro Pusina. “What we need are the support resources open for solicitation now that can be provided by local vendors on a call-when-needed basis. This includes Vehicles with Drivers (Passenger Vehicles and Trucks), Fuel Tenders, Heavy Equipment (Dozers, Excavators, Tractor Plows and Transports), Mechanics with Service Trucks, Fallers, and vendors that can set up and supply large tents and canopies.”
Solicitations for these services are only open to vendors for competition every three years. Forests’ ability to use vendors who have not signed up for an agreement is limited. Duration of assignments varies. Vendors have the option of accepting or declining assignments based on their availability.
Anyone interested in learning more about the opportunities available is encouraged to contact Andrew Kong (phone at 760-873-2565 or email at [email protected]) or visit the Interested Vendor information page on the national Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) website at: https://www.fs.fed.us/business/incident/vendors.php .
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The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
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