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BACKGROUND The interagency Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) program began in the early 1980's. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) led the way in the development, deployment and maintenance of that network. This network now represents approximately 2000 stations owned by all wildland fire agencies, federal, tribal, state and local entities, and is expected to see continued growth. The RAWS Partners Group was formed in 2003 to coordinate an integrated, programmatic approach to support and maintain the interagency RAWS network. RAWS program managers from each agency meet periodically to assure each station has access to reliable, affordable maintenance support and address other RAWS network and data issues. In April 2006, a streamlined A-76 study was initiated for the Remote Sensing/Fire Weather Support Unit (RSFWSU). A new Most Efficient Organization (MEO) was developed and the RSFWSU is performing these functions. MISSION The RAWS Partners Group will work as a collaborative interagency partnership to provide programmatic oversight, strategic recommendations, propose operational standards, and establish and maintain appropriate agreements, including the interagency Memorandum of Understanding for RAWS support. The Group will also provide input to MEO organization, when needed. COMMUNICATION PLAN The COMMUNICATION PLAN outlines the communication process for feedback from the field to the RAWS Partners Group (RPG), the process for information to be evaluated and addressed by the RPG, and the path for decisions to be communicated to the field.
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