A season of milestones: National Helicopter Rappel Program
Rappellers descend from the Super Puma Type 1 Helicopter. The Super Puma is larger and can carry more firefighters and gear. (USDA Forest Service photo)
For firefighters who rappel down ropes from helicopters, this year brought historic achievements and a renewed sense of purpose. The USDA Forest Service’s…
#FireAndAviationManagement, #Firefighters, #FirefighterSafety
Building community to mitigate wildfires
What do you do when you can't entirely stop something bad from happening? You mitigate the damage it might cause. Natural disasters, like hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires, can never be completely stopped. In fact, wildfire is an important part of many healthy ecosystems. That doesn’t mean it won't pose an existential threat to people's lives and property, so dealing with the threat it poses…
#Community, #Wildfire, #WildfirePrevention, #Firefighters, #WildlandFirefighters
National Incident Management Organization (NIMO)
The National Incident Management Organization is composed of four Incident Management Teams. Each team consists of seven members, who are assigned full-time to Command and General Staff positions (Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Planning Section Chief, Operations Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, Finance Section Chief).The primary focus of the program is to…
#Fire, #Firefighters, #FireAndAviationManagement, #WildlandFire, #WildlandFirefighters, #NationalIncidentManagementOrganization, #NationalIncidentManagementSystem
Lifeline of the fireline: Inside the Rocky Mountain Area Fire Cache
On the outskirts of Denver lies an unassuming building that, in contrast to its humble exterior, is the beating heart of federal firefighting efforts in the Rocky Mountains. Walking through the doors of the Rocky Mountain Area Fire Cache, you would never realize that they support thousands of firefighters every year…
#Fire, #Firefighters, #WildlandFirefighting
Coffee Can Saddle Fire tree strike learning review
On Aug. 10, 2024, while responding to the Coffee Can Saddle Fire, eight firefighters were working to contain the blaze when a tree fell and struck one of them. The firefighter sustained serious injuries, including skull fractures, broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. His injuries are severe, and he faces a long…
#Firefighters, #WildlandFirefighters
Air support helps extinguish July 4 Madre Fire
As many as 11 air tankers lent essential support to ground crews working to extinguish the Madre Fire on Los Padres National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Madsen.
When the Madre Fire erupted early in the afternoon of July 2, firefighting personnel from California’s Los Padres…