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Creating conversations across the wildland fire community. Contact us to suggest a topic or subscribe to receive updates by email.

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Fighting fire in the land down under
A group of firefighters gathered on a dirt road to discuss plans
6/9/2020
Bureau of Land Mangement firefighter Owen Johnson shares his experience fighting wildland fires in Australia last winter.
Hold & improve: balancing risk to fight fire during a pandemic
A firefighter carrying a chainsaw is silhouetted against a smoky sky
6/5/2020
Fighting wildfires during a pandemic seems a little like the paradox of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Wildfires and a virus as two forces of nature putting first responders in an impossible situation. But focusing on this stark choice of dueling threats tends to obscure one of humankinds’ greatest gifts: flexibility. Our ability to react and adapt, making small changes to our routines so we bend instead of breaking.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service firefighters reflect on assisting in wildfire suppression efforts in Australia
Firefighters spray water on flames burning through brush in a forest
5/27/2020
The 2019-2020 season was one of the worst fire seasons on record in Australia. By November, Australia requested international assistance to suppress the thousands of fires on the landscape. Over the course of four months, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided 11 individuals to assist in suppression efforts.
Teaching leadership through prescribed fire
A firefighter kneeling in a forest while reading from a log book
5/15/2020
The National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center encourages leadership using prescribed fire as a catalyst to bring women together to become strong and assertive leaders. This year, two employees from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service attended the training.
Hello, my name is IRWIN.
A truck driving across a meadow at sunrise
5/7/2020
Meet IRWIN, the bridge-building, bottleneck-busting software that makes wildfire data flow freely to the people who need it.
Planning for wildfire in a COVID-19 world
A plane dropping water on a fire
4/23/2020
An interview with Kerry Green, spokesperson for the Area Command Teams developing regional response plans for wildfire during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wildfire is changing. So are we.
A firefighter holds a lit drip torch while watching flames burn in grasses around a wetland
4/15/2020
A year-round challenge requires a year-round workforce.
Flood on the fireground: a day in the life of an American task force in Australia.
A firefighter looks up at the crown of a tree with a K spray painted on its trunk
4/8/2020
In the winter of 2019/2020, hundreds of American firefighters deployed to assist Australia during an historic bushfire season. Join the members of Task Force 3B as they work through flat tires and flash floods to clear hazard trees along a remote road in Victoria.
Meeting the challenges of COVID-19
Firefighters walking across a meadow while lighting grasses and shrubs on fire with drip torches
4/3/2020
In a matter of months, an epidemic grew into a pandemic that now affects every facet of our lives. The need for social distancing has led many people to wonder how Federal agencies will respond to wildfires given these restrictions.
Department of the Interior Lends Support to Australia During Catastrophic Bushfires
A firefighter walking through a forest sets fires with a drip torch
1/17/2020
Firefighters from the Department of the Interior are eager to deploy to Australia to help their friends and counterparts in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria manage catastrophic bushfires.
Exceeding Targets - Reducing Wildfire Risk
Firefighters use drip torches to light fuels
1/9/2020
The Department of the Interior doubles accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2019, completing more vegetative treatments to reduce wildfire risk.
Southern Border Fuels Initiative
View of prescribed fire from the air
12/20/2019
Strengthening the partnership between the Department of Interior and Department of Homeland Security, protecting natural and cultural resources along our southern border.
December Director's Update
Burning slash piles in the snow
12/12/2019
A cornerstone of our work in 2019 has been improving how we identify risk at a local level.
Protips for landing your first fire job
A firefighter monitors smoke and flames rising from burning shrubs and grasses
11/26/2019
If you’re looking for a seasonal job in wildland fire next year, now is the time to apply!
Native American Heritage Month
Group photo of Fort Apache Fuels Crew
11/21/2019
Fort Apache firefighters receive Pulaski Award for outstanding interagency collaboration on local fuels project.

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