Wildland Fire Management

Wildfire management is part of a natural process needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem. It is especially challenging in Idaho due to the volatile fuel conditions and difficult terrain. Idaho’s fire management team consists of about 250 seasonal firefighters and 150 yearlong fire managers and specialists.

There are two different types of wildland fires, those that are managed to meet certain objectives and those that unplanned, ignited naturally or by people. The latter are suppressed wildfires.

Dozens of crews are battling wildfires across the west. Whether planned or unplanned, fire can be dangerous. Many actions have been taken, and agencies formed to reduce the risks wildfires pose to people, communities and the environment.

Actions

The Departments of Agriculture and Interior have joined forces to provide information on the initiatives and plans developed in response to wildland fires impacting our communities. The Healthy Forest and Rangelands website gives people access to the National Fire Plan (NFP), and the Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI). These plans have been created to reduce the risks severe wildfires pose to people, communities, and the environment.

The Ten-Year Strategy and Supplemental Implementation Plan is a collaborated effort by federal agencies and western governors between county commissioners and tribal officials. The Ten-Year implementation plan also establishes a framework for protecting communities, firefighters and the environment.

The National Fire Interagency Fire Center

The US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Weather Service saw the need to work together to reduce the duplication of services, cut costs, and coordinate national fire planning and operations. In 1965, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) was created. Located in Boise, Idaho, the NIFC is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC.

For the purpose of managing wildland fires, the United States has been divided into eleven distinct geographic areas. Within each geographic area is a coordination center (GACC). Idaho has been divided into two different geographic areas, the Eastern Great Basin – http://gacc.nifc.giv/egbc/index/htm (central and southern Idaho) and the Northern Rockies – http://gacc.nifc.giv/nrcc/index.htm  (northern Idaho).

The NIFC’s website gives an updated report on the National Preparedness Level, a fire season overview, a glossary of wildland fire terminology, , year-to-date information, and information of historical national fires.

Bureau of Land Management

Idaho has one of the largest and most complex fire management programs in the Bureau of Land Management. The Idaho BLM (http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/fire.1.html) protects and manages wildfire on approximately 11 million acres of rangelands and forests located in central and southern Idaho.

Fire management is carried out through three –regional interagency dispatch centers. The Boise Interagency Dispatch Center is responsible for about 10.8 million acres of public lands in southwestern Idaho. The South-Central Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center covers 2.7 million acres in south-central Idaho, and Eastern Idaho interagency Fire Center is located in Idaho Falls and is responsible for about 7.5 million acres.       Protecting the public, firefighters, property and valuable resources are the basic priorities of the BLM. This includes wildland fire suppression, the treatment of hazardous fuels, fire rehabilitation, and offering community assistance and protection.

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