[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2601-2602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-800]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 2601]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary


Privacy Act of 1974; Addition of a New System of Records; USDA/
FS-52, Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS)

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: New System of Records; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to add a new Forest 
Service Privacy Act system of records to its inventory of records 
systems. USDA invites public comment on this new records system.

DATES: Comment Date: Comments must be received, in writing, on or 
before February 14, 2005.
    Effective Date: This system will be adopted without further notice 
on March 15, 2005 unless modified to respond to comments received from 
the public and published in a subsequent notice.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to the Forest Service Privacy Act 
Officer (Mail Stop 0003), USDA Forest Service, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-0003. Comments may also be sent via 
e-mail to [email protected], or via facsimile to (703) 605-5104.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon Skeels, Senior Project Manager, 
Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Staff, Information Systems 
Project Office, 740 Simms Street, Golden, Colorado 80401, at (303) 236-
0630, or via e-mail to [email protected], or via facsimile to (303) 
236-5221.
    Additional information concerning the Resource Ordering and Status 
System may be obtained on the Internet at http://ross.nwcg.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a), 
the USDA Forest Service is proposing to add a new system of records 
entitled USDA/FS-52, Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS) that 
will automate an existing manual dispatch process for incident 
management. The ROSS database will identify, obligate, and report the 
status of individuals for wildland fire protection and other incident 
assignments. An estimated 200,000 individual records are expected to be 
collected in the system and stored in an automated database located at 
the National Information Technology Center in Kansas City, Missouri. 
The ROSS database may contain personal information about individuals 
who participate in wildland fire protection and other incident 
operations.
    The USDA Forest Service is the administrative agency for this 
system, but it may be used by agencies that are members of the 
interagency National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and its 
cooperators.
    In accordance with the Privacy Act and Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, the USDA has provided a report of this new 
system of records to the OMB and to the Congress.
    A copy of the new system of records is set out at the end of this 
notice. The USDA invites comments on all portions of this notice. Those 
who submit comments should be aware that all comments, including names 
and addresses, when provided, are placed in the record and are 
available for public inspection. Individuals wishing to inspect 
comments should call the Forest Service Freedom of Information Act and 
Privacy Act Office at (703) 605-4913 to make arrangements.

    Dated: December 29, 2004.
Ann M. Veneman,
Secretary.
USDA/FS-52

System Name:
     Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS), USDA/FS.

Security Classification:
     None.

System Location:
     The Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS) database is located 
at the National Information Technology Center in Kansas City, MO. Hard 
copies of the information may be retained at the National Interagency 
Coordination Center, and approximately 450 Geographic Area Coordination 
Centers, and Dispatch Offices nation-wide from which an individual is 
dispatched. The addresses for these offices can be requested from Jon 
Skeels, Senior Project Manager, Forest Service Fire and Aviation 
Management Staff, Information Systems Project Office, 740 Simms Street, 
Golden, Colorado 80401, at (303) 236-0630, or via e-mail to 
[email protected], or via facsimilie to (303) 236-5221.

Categories of individuals covered by the system:
     Individuals from agencies that are members of the National 
Wildfire Coordination Group and its cooperators who participate in 
wildland fire protection and other incident activities. This includes 
Federal, State and municipal employees, and private individuals.

Categories of records in the system:
     The system of records includes the following required information 
about individuals: the individual's first and last name, social 
security number or unique identification number, employment status, 
home unit, provider, owner, and home dispatch office. The system of 
records includes the following optional information about individuals: 
the individual's middle name, 24-hour phone, cell phone, fax, home 
phone, office phone, TDD number, pager, e-mail address, weight, gender, 
position(s) qualified to perform, position(s) qualified to perform as a 
trainee, home location, preferred jetport, fitness rating, and fitness 
rating expiration date. The individual's social security number is not 
displayed to any user of the system and is retrievable only by the 
database administrator in Kansas City.

Authority for maintenance of the system:
     16 U.S.C. 551; 36 CFR 200.1.

Purpose(s):
     The database automates the existing manual dispatch process for 
incident management and wildland protection operations. The ROSS 
database encompasses all business functions related to resource 
ordering and has the capability to identify, obligate, and report the 
status of all individual tactical, logistical, service, and support 
resources mobilized by agencies that are

[[Page 2602]]

members of the NWCG and its cooperators.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories 
of users and the purposes of such uses:
    1. Disclose information to other Federal, State, and local agencies 
that are members of the NWCG and its cooperators who are assisting the 
agency in the performance of a service related to this system of 
records and who need to have access to the records in order to perform 
the activity. Recipients shall be required to comply with the 
requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 552a(m).
    2. Disclose information to an appropriate agency, whether Federal, 
State, or local charged with the responsibility of investigating or 
prosecuting a violation of law, rule, or regulation, or order issued 
pursuant thereto, when information available indicates a violation or 
potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in 
nature and whether arising by general statute or particular program 
statute, or by rule, regulation, or order issued pursuant thereto, if 
the information disclosed is relevant to any enforcement, regulatory, 
investigative, or prosecutive responsibility of the receiving entity.
    3. Disclose information to the Department of Justice for the 
defense of suits against the United States or its officers, or for the 
institution of suits for the recovery of claims by the United States 
Department of Agriculture.
    4. Disclose information to a Member of Congress from the record of 
an individual in response to an inquiry from the Member of Congress 
made at the request of that individual. In such cases, however, the 
Member's right to a record is no greater than that of the individual.
    5. Disclose information to the National Archives and Records 
Administration and to the General Services Administration for records 
management inspections conducted under 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.

Disclosure to consumer reporting agencies:
     None.

Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, 
and disposing of records in the system:
     Individual data that is used for assignments can be archived from 
the production system into the system data warehouse. Access to the 
data is through data exports and reporting mechanisms. Access to 
personal information shall be blocked except for those specifically 
authorized to have access.

Storage:
     Authorized personnel may access this data. Information is stored 
in a relational database hosted on computer equipment located at the 
National Information Technology Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Retrievability:
     Authorized personnel at dispatch offices may retrieve information 
in a variety of combinations to fill resource orders or track status; 
however, only the database administrator in Kansas City can retrieve 
social security numbers.

Safeguards:
     Access to the records is available only by username and password 
and only for those individuals with appropriate system roles. Physical 
access safeguards are that all records containing personal information 
will be maintained in secured file cabinets and secured computer rooms 
and/or tape libraries that can be accessed only by authorized 
personnel. Electronic access to records is controlled through a system 
of computer access identification and authorizations utilizing 
passwords. Access to the data is controlled by data base management 
system software. Any personal data transmitted over a network is 
encrypted.

Retention and disposal:
     Records are maintained subject to the Federal Records Disposal Act 
of 1943 (44 U.S.C. 366-380) and the Federal Records Act of 1950, and so 
designated in the Forest Service Records Management Handbook (FSH) 
6209.11. The records are stored in an electronic data warehouse and 
electronic media for 7 years from the date of last action. Disposal of 
data will be through secure methods that sanitize the information from 
all media; hard copies will be shredded or burned.

System manager(s) and address:
     Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) Director, (Mail Stop 1107), 
Forest Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250-0003.

Notification Procedures:
     Any individual may request information regarding this system by 
writing to the Director of Fire and Aviation Management, Forest 
Service, USDA, Washington, DC. Individuals whose data is contained in 
the ROSS database may view their own personal record by contacting 
their local dispatch office.

Record access procedures:
     Use the same procedures as for requesting Notification.

Contesting record procedures:
     Use the same procedures as for requesting Notification.

Record source categories:
     Information in this system comes primarily from the individual or 
from other in-service documents or systems.

Exemptions claimed for the system:
     None.

[FR Doc. 05-800 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]
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