Scott Jones receives IAWF Safety Award

Scott Jones, a former Assistant Chief of Los Angeles County Fire Department, received a Safety Award that was presented by the International Association of Wildland Fire at their Fire and Climate Conference in Pasadena, California.

Although Chief Jones officially retired in 2005, he was later instrumental in founding and managing the Quick Reaction Force, a first of its kind standing task force of four helicopters with a primary mission of aggressively attacking new wildland fires, available 24/7 for about six months a year. After he retired, he has worked with the LACoFD as a retired annuitant for the agency, training firefighters and supervisors in wildland fire operations and procedures, including fire aviation.

Below are excerpts from the nomination for the award submitted January 14, 2022 by Brian Fennessy, Chief of Orange County Fire Authority.

“Prior to his employment with LACoFD, Chief Jones served as a firefighter with the US Forest Service (USFS). The LACoFD is the largest local government employer of firefighters in California and the Western United States, and an all-hazards fire agency that responds to hundreds of thousands of emergencies each year. As a full time career firefighter, Chief Jones had a reputation for excelling in all areas. However, based on his early employment with the USFS and his passion for wildland firefighting, he became a well-known subject matter expert in wildland firefighting, particularly in the wildland urban interface. He retired as the Assistant Chief of the Air & Wildland Division at LACoFD. The Air & Wildland Division is made up of dozens of handcrews, several bulldozers, and the most robust local government helicopter and aviation section in service then and today.

“This nomination is specific to his founding of a new concept and program in California. The program is called the “Quick Reaction Force” (QRF). Although there currently is no ICS accepted terminology for the resources the program provides, it is in fact a standing “aerial task force” (ATF). Efforts are underway to have this “ATF” integrated into the IROC ordering system now that the 2021 QRF pilot program is complete.

“The QRF ATF is funded (approximately $18 million) by the second largest public utility in California. Given that the QRF four aircraft and mobile retardant base (MRB) are available to all fire agencies within the public utility service area (15-counties) and based in three (3) separate Southern California counties, the QRF resources are considered “regional.” In 2021, the aircraft and MRB were staffed and available 24-hours a day, for a 180-day contract period. During this time, the pilot program made wildland fire aviation history. Dispatched and operated as an initial attack aerial task force (ATF), the QRF aircraft, MRB, and support equipment responded to dozens of fires in California. More importantly, the initial attack of the thirty-nine (39) fires in Southern California resulted in zero multi-operational period fires. The QRF ATF was requested and responded to the Caldor Fire (Eldorado NF) on two separate occasions. It was during these assignments that the QRF ATF aircraft made history. Specifically, the first night water drops in Northern California history and the first night fire retardant drops in US history.

“This was all made possible because of Chief Jones’ singular vision. Chief Jones has experienced many times throughout his full time and part time career, wildland fires that could have been extinguished during the initial or extended attack phase of the fire, if the immediate availability of several large water/retardant dropping Type 1 helitankers had been possible. It was with this vision that the QRF ATF pilot program was conceived and operationalized.

“Even during the pilot program, QRF aircraft were credited with significantly reducing the risk exposure of responders, preventing evacuations of the public, and saving tens of millions of dollars of values at risk and critical infrastructure.”