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June 2024 Northern Region Update
Release Date:
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Wildfire Year 2024
Preparing for the year
Fire resources across the Northern Region are gearing up for the busiest part of the 2024 Wildfire Year to respond locally, regionally, and nationally. The Northern Region hosts a multitude of national, regional, and local fire and aviation resources, including dispatch centers, aircraft and aviation support, smokejumper bases, hotshots, hand crews, helitack crews, engines, and a National Fire Cache.
On average, over 1500 employees with specialized fire qualifications prepare each year to mobilize to wildfire and other emergency incidents across the country and internationally when needed.
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2024 Northern Region Fire By the Numbers
- 10 Interagency Dispatch Centers
- 3 National Smokejumper Bases
- 3 Airtanker Bases
- 3 Fixed-wing Aircraft Platforms
- 15 Helicopters (all types)
- 1 Interagency Fire Cache
- 1 Interagency Training Center
- 6 Interagency Hotshot Crews
- 87 Fire Engines
- 4 Type 2-Initial Attach (IA) Crews
- 23 Wildland Fire Modules
- ≈1500 Fire personnel qualified in multiple specialties.
- ≈ 700 Permanent Fire Employees
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Predictive Services
The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), based in Boise, Idaho, is the central hub for coordinating resources used to fight wildfires and respond to other emergencies across the US. The NICC also provides Predictive Services related products designed to provide decision support to fire management, offering detailed information on anticipated significant fire activity and potential resource needs.
Predictive Services consists of three functional areas:
- Fire weather: Meteorologists look at weather forecasts and models to predict weather conditions, including wind, temperature, and humidity which aids with understanding potential fire behavior.
- Fuels and fire danger: Fire analysts study the amount and type of vegetation in an area (the fuel) and how dry it is. This aids in predicting fire danger, fire behavior, and significant fire activity.
- Fire intelligence: This team keeps track of current fires, firefighting resources available, and how prepared different areas are for wildfires. They also use satellite images to monitor fire activity.
Predictive Services produce National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlooks. These outlooks are developed to improve information available to fire management decision makers for proactive wildland fire management, thus better protecting lives and property, reducing firefighting costs and improving firefighting efficiency. To access full reports: National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook [PDF]
The predicted significant wildland fire potential issued June 1, 2024 looking ahead to August 2024 has most of the nation predicted to be at normal potential, but with these areas above normal: Hawaii, western Washington, North Idaho, the Great Basin, New Mexico and far eastern Arizona, and southeast Colorado and western Kansas.
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Preparation
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program addresses post-fire risks to life, property, and natural and cultural resources. Following a wildfire, interdisciplinary specialists such as hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, and archaeologists work together to assess risks to National Forest resources and implement treatments to mitigate those risks. With increasing intensity and severity of wildfires experienced in recent years, there is growing demand for this technical expertise.
In May 2024, the Northern Region hosted an introductory three-day BAER training for soil and watershed specialists in Missoula. Nearly 40 soil scientists, hydrologists, and fish biologists from Regions 1, 4, and 6 attended. The course included presentations on best science related to landscape response to wildfire, methods for translating that response to risk, and making informed recommendations on treatments.
Check out the National BAER program Sharepoint site (internal link) or contact Vince Archer, Northern Region BAER coordinator, for more information .
Incident Strategic Alignment Process
The Forest Service and the Northern Region are committed to in investing in our employees and creating strong workplaces. Supporting the resiliency of our employees goes hand in hand with our work to sustain the Nation’s forests and grasslands. As part of this investment, the 3rd Annual Wellness and Public Recognition Week was held in May. During that special week, the focus on was on "The 8 Dimensions of Wellness," encompassing emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and financial wellness. To learn more about the dimensions or to explore other wellbeing resources check out Employee Support & Wellbeing Hub - Onboarding Homepage [internal link].
When applied to a wildfire incident, the concepts of the ISAP assist in creating a shared understanding between incident responders at all levels. This process can facilitate meaningful risk dialogue and foster alignment, focus efforts and help to prioritize work. To learn more about ISAP visit Incident Strategic Alignment Process (ISAP) (arcgis.com)
Every wildfire in the Northern Region will have a suppression strategy with discussions on the details of that strategy framed using the pillars of the ISAP.
Wildfire management can be complex. Our fire managers use a variety of tools to strategically place resources in areas where fire management activities will be safest and most successful. ISAP is a critical tool to assist fire managers, State Partners, Agency Partners, Tribes and key stakeholders in making informed decisions about the resources needed and the probability of success of selected strategies. As such, there may be larger fires where the goal might not always be to have a fire line around the entire fire, but instead to use natural features, previous hazardous fuels reduction work, past burns, and knowledge of communities and values at risk nearby. The focus of resources on these areas enables direct attack on the fire to be more successful.
Firewise Spotlight - Prepare your home for wildfire
Many in the Northern Region live near or within the Wildand Urban Interface (WUI). The greatest risk of wildfire impacting homes exists within the WUI. Throughout the Northern Region, National Forest and Grassland managers have been designing and implementing projects focusing on hazardous fuels reduction on National Forest System (NFS) lands within and near the WUI. Efforts also include partnering with neighboring landowners to implement fuels treatments to minimize wildfire risks.
There are several things you can do to prepare your home before wildfires arrive and to mitigate potential negative impacts from wildfire. There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments. Research including experiments, computer modeling and post-fire observations have shown that homes ignite due to conditions within the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) which includes the home and up to 200’ from the foundation.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Idaho Department of Lands, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation all received funding from the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act either directly or through agreements with the Forest Service that specifically address fuels reduction on private property. Resources are available to help homeowners prepare their homes and property and implement Firewise principles.
To learn more about Firewise visit the National Fire Protection Association Firewise USA website. For financial and technical assistance, contact your local NRCS office or state resource agency.