[Federal Register: January 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 10)]
[Notices]
[Page 2601-2602]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ja05-23]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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
appearing in this section.
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[[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 wo_foia@fs.fed.us, 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 jskeels@fs.fed.us, 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
jskeels@fs.fed.us, 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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