PRESCOTT, Ariz. — The wildfire season is expected to be long, with Texas already experiencing the largest fire in its history and firefighters overwhelmed by the recent fires in Virginia.
In the first three months of the year alone, more than 6,912 square kilometers were charred in the United States. That’s more than half of last year’s total, and forecasters predict a high risk of wildfires in the coming months in the Great Lakes region, parts of the Midwest, Southwest and Hawaii.
“We’re going to be busy. I can’t tell you exactly where right now, but we’re going to be busy,” said Alex Robertson, acting director of fire and aviation at the U.S. Forest Service.
As fires increase in size and duration, federal officials charged with juggling resources and dispatching crews are turning to a new business model they describe as the biggest change in wildfire management in decades. decades. They say this will provide more flexibility when responding to wildfires and ensure there are more personnel with the training and qualifications needed to deal with the most complex fires.
It’s an idea that’s been floating around for years due to strain on wildfire-fighting manpower as historic heat waves and droughts linked to climate change have made wildfires more difficult to suppress. fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much hotter and drier over the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.
In recent years, the shortage of high-level Type 1 teams has led Type 2 teams to take on larger missions, such as those that threaten multiple communities and require more firefighters, aircraft, and a flow constant other resources. This season, 44 leadership teams were formed to respond to the nation’s largest fires.
Managers consider many factors when deciding the complexity of a fire, which can change based on developments ranging from fuel conditions and growth potential to risks to property and cultural resources.
Todd Abel, deputy fire management chief with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, has been a part of wildland fire management teams for more than two decades. There were years when he would return home after one mission to pack his bags and leave two days later for another. He remembers doing this eight or nine times one summer.
“That’s why they’re making more teams available for handling complex incidents,” he said.
In 2021, California experienced its largest wildfire. The Dixie Fire was active for more than three months and expanded to 1,505 square miles (3,898 square kilometers). Nearly 2,000 people were affected by this fire.
The following year, in New Mexico, more than 3,000 people were assigned to fight the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, a fire started by two prescribed burns that forest managers missed. This is the largest and most destructive wildfire in New Mexico history. It burned for more than four months before being brought under control.
In addition to filling higher command positions, recruiting new wildland firefighters has been a priority at federal land management agencies. Many positions are seasonal, lasting on average six months. Some people don’t return while others are promoted – and in both cases, positions remain empty.
The Forest Service hopes to hire about 11,300 firefighters this year.
The lengthening of the fire season has also changed the composition of seasonal fire crews and permanent positions. Jeff Rupert, director of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Wildland Fire, said that in years past, more than a third of the workforce was crew members seasonal. This number is decreasing as more permanent positions are required.
New recruits must complete wildfire training and pass a basic fitness test.
An annual wildfire training academy in Prescott, Ariz., marked a banner year, with more than 1,000 people coming in March for a week of classes and field work.
Dozens of students kicked up clouds of dust as they used tools to dig their first handline in an area where fire is simulated by pink tape tied to bushes. There was no choking smoke or chainsaws ripping through the brush as helicopters thundered overhead. Still, the workshop gave students an idea of what it means to fight a wildfire.
Robertson said the first year for a firefighter is the most important.
“It’s when someone determines if this type of work is right for them,” he said. “It’s a lot of work where you don’t know where you’re going to be the next day. It’s very dynamic. Lots of unknowns.
For the high-level managers who orchestrate the fight against the largest fires, some will need to take new courses – now that Type 1 and Type 2 teams are being reconfigured to form new complex fire management teams. Between 50 and 90 people will make up the teams, each with expertise in their particular field.
Jesse Bender, president of the Incident Workforce Development Group, said the change is more about the administrative process governing how government agencies respond to wildfires. She called this an opportunity to better align wildland firefighting activities so the public knows it’s a highly trained and experienced group of people capable of taking care of firefighters on the ground and to protect the things that communities value, including homes, wildlife, cultural assets. monuments and nature reserves.
“Ultimately,” she said, “we want to make sure we have enough people on all the fires to help those who need it.”
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Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
ABC News
