Programs

The Department of the Interior organizes wildland fire management funding into a suite of programs. Work is carried out by staff in the four bureaus with wildland fire management responsibilities.

  • A wildland firefighter stands in dry grass as flames rise behind him.
    Successful and safe wildland fire management often requires quick and decisive actions. We need personnel who are properly trained, equipped, and positioned before a fire starts.

    Preparedness

  • Wildland firefighters hike in a line on a fire assignment.
    Suppression involves the work that most people associate with wildland fire: firefighters in yellow and green digging line, an airplane dropping retardant on flames, plus all the equipment and supplies needed to support those efforts.

    Suppression

  • A wildland firefighter ignites fine fuels with a drip torch on a prescribed fire.
    Fuel management is the strategic removal of vegetation to restore and maintain ecosystems and limit the negative impacts of wildfires.

    Fuel Management

  • Two employees stand at a hose cleaning station as they repair hose.
    The foundation of wildland fire management lies in the network of fire stations, airtanker bases, crew quarters, emergency dispatch centers, and other buildings that provide a home for firefighters, support staff, and their equipment. We support facilities funding for construction and maintenance work throughout the Department of the Interior.

    Facilities

  • Three employees kneel in a burned area to collect data after a wildfire.
    Burned Area Rehabilitation supports efforts to repair or improve landscapes unlikely to recover without human assistance.

    Burned Area Rehab

  • A man collects soil samples in a recently burned area.
    The Joint Fire Science Program provides funding for scientific studies associated with managing wildland fire, fuels, and fire-impacted ecosystems that respond to the emerging needs of managers, practitioners, and policymakers at local and national levels.

    Joint Fire Science

  • Three wildland firefighters do pull ups on a pull up bar.
    Wildland firefighting is physically demanding work. Medical standards establish a baseline for wildland firefighter health and fitness.

    Medical Standards

  • Two wildland firefighters walk towards the viewer wearing their gear.
    The Interior and Agriculture departments are committed to supporting our wildland firefighters, who work in arduous, stressful environments.

    Wildland Firefighter Health and Wellbeing