Southern California Interagency Support Cache

 

MEMORANDUM

CM-LSK-04-3

 

 

            To:                   Southern California Cache Customers

            From:               David A. Estes, Fire Cache Manager   

            Date:                1 April 2004

            Subject:            Incident Ordering

 

General Policy

 

Resource orders in the Pacific Southwest Region will be executed as prescribed by the National Mobilization Guide, amended in the California Mobilization Guide, and subject to Interagency Business Management Handbook direction, with the exception that allows direct ordering to the servicing Cache for all Federal Agencies.  Some forests and other jurisdictional federal agencies require ordering through the expanded dispatch system to the supporting Cache. 

 

Cooperative agencies may order directly to the Cache upon authorization by the Geographical Area Coordination Center (GACC).  The initial Cache order must be forwarded to the servicing GACC.

 

Cache Order Procedures

 

  1. Cache orders will be placed by facsimile machine.
  2. Each incident will be assigned a distinct time frame for placing orders.
  3. Each incident will have a telephone contact for direct and immediate communication with the Cache.  Communication will be between the ordering person (manager) or Supply Unit Leader and the Cache for the following purposes:
    1. Clarify orders (description, unit of issue, quantity)
    2. Notification whether an order can be filled or partially filled.
    3. Determination whether to forward an order to NICC or another cache.
    4. Substitutions.
    5. Status.
    6. Understanding tactical plans in order to weigh scarce resource decisions.
    7. Advise the incident of options when requested items are extraordinary in kind or quantity.

 

  1. Orders to the Cache will be for NFES items only.  Local purchase items will be ordered separately through the buying team or dispatch center.
  2. The Cache will communicate shipping status directly to the ordering unit.  This will occur when the shipment leaves the Cache or soon thereafter.
  3. The Cache will not supply any item that is primarily a component of kits, or parts of equipment (e.g. spark plugs).  All administrative requirements will be routed through the buying unit.  The office supply kits supplied in the base units are to get the team started and will not be supplied in lieu of the aforementioned policy.
  4. Any item that the Cache is unable to fill or pass on to another cache, and is still required by the incident, will be treated as a local purchase item, which the incident will place through their buying team.
  5. Priority for fill and shipment will generally follow MAC direction, particularly for items in short supply.  But the Cache will make every effort to equitably distribute scarce resources.
  6. Pre-structured Orders, Canned Orders and orders for the Mobile Cache Van cannot be directly ordered from the Cache and must be placed through the Dispatch Center controlling the incident.
  7. Pre-structured Orders, Canned Orders and orders for the Mobile Cache Van will not be accepted after the initial establishment of an incident.
  8. The Supply Management Officer or Cache Manager may terminate Direct Cache Ordering from an incident and transfer responsibility to the servicing Dispatch Center if negotiation with Agency Administrators and Incident Commanders fail to resolve any or all of the following conditions:
    1. Ordering skills and knowledge on the incident are inadequate to maintain an efficient and effective supply ordering process.
    2. Communication has broken down or is not continually maintained.
    3. The total order volume from a dispatch zone overwhelms the Cache’s ability to process individual incident orders.

 

Any questions related to this guide can be directed to David A. Estes, Supply Management Officer (Cache Manager), at (909) 930-3206, or any one else in Cache management.

 

 

 

David A. Estes

DAVID A. ESTES

Supply Management Officer

Fire & Aviation Management, R5