Fire
Northern Region Fire and Aviation Management
Wildland Fire
Wildland Fire is a multifaceted, complex tool crucial for forest health and ensuring critical aspects of community safety. Maintaining healthy landscapes contributes to effective suppression efforts when Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities are unexpectedly threatened from unplanned ignitions.
Landscapes across the Northern Region (R1) consist of a highly diverse mix of land ownership and agency protection areas. Thus, the Northern Region takes a holistic approach to incorporating and managing Wildland Fire by working with tribal, state, local partners and other federal agencies. Building strong relationships with these entities is necessary to address land management issues across a diverse mix of land ownership and agency protection areas.
This cross boundary approach allows for full regional implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and provides a solid framework upon which the Northern Region continuously evolves and improves this inclusive foundation.
Fuels Management
Over the last few decades, the wildland fire management environment has significantly changed. A few examples of this change include:
- Longer fire seasons
- Larger fires
- More burned acres (on average) each year
- Fire managers observing more extreme fire behavior
Because of this, the Northern Region has incorporated data driven, scientifically informed decision making into every aspect of fuels management to best meet the goals of the Cohesive Strategy: resilient landscapes, fire adapted communities and safe and effective fire response.
Due in large part to the exclusion of fire for many decades, uncharacteristic and dangerous fuel loads have built up in much of the region over time. These fuel loads can produce uncontrollable fire behavior that can threaten communities, natural resources, and ecological and recreational values we hold dear.
Region 1 uses a combination of prescribed fire, mechanical treatments, and the effective management of some natural ignitions to reduce fuel loads, altering vegetation patterns in areas of strategic value in ways that reduce this risk. Our specialists also work closely with State, County and other partners to coordinate efforts and meet shared priorities that often extend past land boundaries.
Aviation
Aviation encompasses a broad category of highly valuable Wildland Fire programmatic support areas and assets. These assets include various types of aircraft, both planes and helicopters . The Northern Region has been established as a leader within National Aviation Safety standards and consistently prioritizes operational safety throughout every aviation program component.
This program area provides regional support through multiple operations including suppression, aerial ignition, backcountry para-cargo, transportation, forest health, research. Forward-thinking programmatic innovations through implementation of new Unmanned Aircraft Systems program and peripheral technology delivery to include infra-red, LIDAR, timber scaling and survey, increases regional support capabilities.
Air Quality
The Northern Region Air Quality program uses appropriate air quality law, regulation, policies, and science to protect natural resources, including visibility, from adverse effects of human-caused air pollution. Air Resource Management supports wildland fire management activities by enhancing collaborative relationships and communication between regulatory agencies and Fire, Aviation and Air leaders.
The Northern Region Smoke Management program maintains collaborative relationships with our interagency partners and regulatory agencies including the Montana and Idaho Departments of Environmental Quality as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. Together all strive to balance the ecosystem’s need for fire with a mandate to protect public health and welfare.
Aerial Fire Depot
The Aerial Fire Depot (AFD) is a multifaceted wildland firefighting complex within a large, administrative site. The AFD provides a wide variety of regional support through various programs. There is an extensive maintenance program as well as continuing Capital Investment projects.
The Aerial Fire Depot has a Facility Base Manager who oversees the budget and maintenance for 115 acres, 21 buildings and an 8.74 acre aviation tarmac on the AFD campus. A few of the resources on base include:
- Missoula Air Tanker Base
- R-1 Aviation Hangar
- Northern Rockies Coordination Center
- Northern Rockies Training Center, including the Aerial Fire Depot Dormitory
- R-1 Fire Cache Warehouse
- Missoula Smokejumpers Loft / AFD Business Office
- Smokejumper Visitors Center
- Northern Rockies Learning Center / Daycare
Collaboration with other neighboring facilities is essential. Our partners include:
- Lolo National Forest
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Service Station
- National Technology & Development Program
- Rocky Mountain Research Station / Fire Science Lab
- Missoula International Airport
The AFD Facilities Base Manager supervises and oversees Missoula Air Tanker Base Manager and personnel, and is therefore able to utilize Tanker Base staff to accomplish maintenance and repairs necessary for the campus which includes, but is not limited to:
- Snow removal
- Remodel/repair and maintenance
- Assist with security
- Contracting Officer Representative (COR) responsibilities
Northern Rockies Interagency Support Cache
Visit the Northern Rockies Interagency Support Cache - "Service to the Line"
Established in 1954, the Northern Rockies Cache supplies federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies within the Northern Rockies Geographical Area, an area that encompasses 235,600 square miles. The Cache is capable of immediately supplying up to 5,000 firefighters and more than 30 major wildland fires.
Northern Rockies Training Center (NRTC)
NRTC is an interagency Training Center serving the Northern Region and its federal, state and local cooperators. It is responsible for planning, coordinating and delivering leadership, fire, fuels and aviation training courses at the geographic area level (primarily 300 and 400 level courses).
We also provide coordination between the Northern Rockies/R1 and the National Training Centers. Staff consists of both Forest Service (FS) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) personnel. Other Agencies contribute funds on a proportional basis for their attending students and cadre supporting classes. NRTC has a staff of five (5) who support these efforts. NRTC is considered a leader of innovation in fire/fuels/incident management training delivery.
During fire season, NRTC provides support and assistance to our Northern Rockies Incident Management Teams (IMTs). One way NRTC provides support is through our Priority Trainee (PT) Program. The Priority Trainee Program was developed in 2015 and provides interagency trainees a method of priority trainee mobilization. Since this is recognized nationally, participants attain qualifications for interagency workforce development and to support IMT successional planning efforts. NRTC coordinates with all geographic areas to provide priority trainee opportunities as needed nationally.
Northern Rockies Coordination Center (NRCC)
NRCC is an interagency organization serving the 14 agencies of the Northern Rockies Coordinating Group and is one of ten coordination centers in the nation. NRCC’s mission is to provide safe, cost effective, and timely mobilization of resources and to promote efficient operations through interagency cooperation and standardized procedures.
NRCC accomplishes this through coordinating movement of emergency resources within the geographic area as well as between the Northern Rockies and the rest of the nation. NRCC provides for coordination and management of the area’s Incident Management Teams while utilizing utilizes and assisting with software applications such as Incident Ordering Resource Capabilities (IROC), 209s and Situation Reporting.
In addition, NRCC leads the Geographic Area in coordination system issues. The six agencies who staff the office include:
- Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- National Park Service
- Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Idaho Department of Lands is a financial contributor. These agencies share costs on a proportional basis with a typical staff of 12 full time employees.
Missoula Smokejumper Base
The Missoula Smokejumper Program provides a highly skilled, rapid response and operationally focused fire resource, which primarily provides initial attack suppression on emerging fires.
Smokejumpers fill a variety of leadership roles on emerging, complex, urban interface, and long duration incidents. Their training, versatility, and agility enable them to provide leadership that is capable of establishing command structure, situational assessment, and both tactical and logistical support for extended fire and all risk operations.
The Missoula Smokejumper Base employs 75 smokejumpers, providing a rapid response workforce to assist forest and program managers regionally and nationally. Smokejumpers provide support and leadership to prescribed fire programs, thinning and timber stand improvement projects, hazard tree removal, trails and recreation projects, and cargo delivery via both traditional and GPS guided parachutes.
Smokejumpers manage regional programs including the Region 1 (R1) para-cargo program, R1 Lead Forward Veterans hiring program, Region 8 (R8) Prescribed Fire Module Coordination, the Northern Region University (NRU), and R1 Fireline Explosives (FLE) program.
National program support provided by Smokejumpers includes the Disaster Assistance Support Program (DASP), Forest Service International Programs (IP), Primary Leader Academy (PLA), and the Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program (WFAP).
Smokejumper's service is built upon the foundation of close working partnerships with smokejumper program users and cooperators and is based on the core values of safety, professionalism, and flexibility.
West Yellowstone, Montana and Grangeville, Idaho are the homes of the other two Northern Region smokejumper bases. The Northern Region is home to three of the seven Forest Service jump bases nation-wide.
Missoula Air Tanker Base
Missoula Air Tanker Base personnel ensure safe ground operations and movement of all fixed wing aircraft, which include:
- Large Air Tankers
- Single Engine Air Tankers
- Smokejumper Aircraft
- Air Attack
- Lead Planes
- Other miscellaneous fixed wing aircraft
Air Tanker Base personnel also serve as ACOR’s for smokejumper aircraft. Missoula tanker base staff safely marshal and park fixed wing aircraft, mix retardant, and load with retardant all air tankers.
Air Tanker Base personnel manifest, load and unload contract 727 Aircraft Flights with wildland firefighting personnel mobilized out of R1 or arrive in R1. Tanker base staff also utilize their IQCS Red Card qualifications to assist other aviation units and incidents regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Working With Us
Northern Region Wildland Firefighter Jobs - Learn about firefighting jobs and explore career options in the Northern Region
Related Fire Information:
Fire Prevention:
Planned Ignitions & Risk Management
Firefighting Training Crews:
Great Northern Fire Crew (Training Crew hosted by Flathead National Forest)
Historical Information
Osborne Firefinder
What is an Osborne firefinder? Many thanks to Mr. Ray Kresek for a re-print of his article.
When a fire lookout spots a plume of smoke, they will turn the sighting device on a firefinder to align as close as they can get to the base of the smoke. Using the ribbon across the map circle, and the compass ring round the map, they can estimate the location of the fire on the map (the metal ribbon will cross it), and the angle of the fire from the lookout. They then communicate this information to fire dispatch.
Fires of 1910
1910 was a year of extreme fire behavior across the northwest and northern Rockies. Beginning on August 20, 1910, hurricane force winds from the west hit the many fires - mostly small - already burning in the Idaho Panhandle and northwest Montana, igniting a 36-hour firestorm. By the end of the season over three million acres were burned, and as many as 85 people died in the fire - mostly Forest Service Firefghters.
1910 Fire Commemoration Information Site
Find newspaper articles, eye-witness reports and more about the Great Burn of 1910 .