WASHINGTON, DC — In keeping with the Forest Service strategic goal of Sharing Knowledge Globally, Fire and Aviation Management is supporting the development of a diverse leadership capability within the North American and Australasian wildland fire management agencies. 

The International Fire Management Mentorship Program kicked off in May with an initial pilot of 15 mentors and mentees. The North American countries (United States, Canada and Mexico) began the pilot program with three mentees from each country being individually paired with mentors from the other North American countries. Australia and New Zealand will be launching their pilot later this summer as mentees are paired with mentors from their neighboring country. The pilot program is focusing on women as mentees. The program is 12 months in length and is designed to have meetings at least monthly between the mentors and mentees. Lessons learned from all five countries will be compared and the program will be refined as needed.

The International Fire Management Mentorship Program is a joint initiative of the North American Forest Commission’s Fire Management Working Group and the Australasian Forest Fire Management Group. The idea for this program started during the 2020 virtual North American Fire Management Study Tour which provided an opportunity to share the cultural challenges impeding greater diversity and inclusion within the wildland fire management sector in North American and Australasian countries. It was recognized that there is a significant gender imbalance in the fire management agencies in all five countries, and this is representative of the broader culture within the emergency management sector. 

The current workforce demographic is heavily skewed towards men, particularly at senior and leadership levels. Participation trends in fire and emergency management tend to follow traditionally gendered norms, with fewer women represented in frontline or other roles that men have historically dominated.

The overall program objectives are:

1. To act as an accelerated leadership development program within participating agencies.

2. To increase the understanding of demographics and measures that indicate gender equity within partner organizations, which includes improved monitoring and reporting processes.

3. To empower participating agencies to refine recruitment processes and increase retention of women within fire management. 

4. To refine recruitment processes and promotional material to attract and retain more women in partner agencies.

The pilot program will conclude next spring and is expected to do a full roll-out among all five countries next summer with mentoring opportunities for employees from all under-represented groups in wildland fire management. 

Agencies participating in the program’s steering group include the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, Australasian Forest Fire Management Group, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Canadian Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Department of the Interior, and the Comisión Nacional Forestal (Mexican National Forestry Commission) to bring together firefighters from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.S. and Mexico.