The Travis County Office of Emergency Management has released an After Action Review for six wildfires that started on September 4, 2011 that destroyed 57 homes in Texas. They started on the same day that the Bastrop Complex Fire started which consumed 34,000 acres and destroyed 1,600 homes.
The entire ARR is HERE. Below is an excerpt from the Conclusions section of the report:
The 2011 Labor Day Weekend fires presented Travis County fire departments with a scenario that was unlike any that had been witnessed in the lives of many of the participants. With numerous fires burning in Travis County and throughout the State of Texas, fire departments were left with using what resources were available to them on a local basis. Many of the responses were directly related to the magnitude of the event and the lack of resources normally available. The AAR will provide Travis County an opportunity to look at the deficiencies noted in the report and take corrective actions. Some corrective actions are already in the planning stages such as Public Information Training for additional field PIOs and increased public awareness through the social media. Other opportunities will be looked at to determine what steps need to be taken in order to correct some of the issues noted in the AAR.
