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Smokejumper Spotter Academy: Training leaders in the sky

A smokejumper kneels beside an aircraft to do final checks before boarding. Two people stand near the aircraft doorway talking.
Pick your favorite theme song and imagine it hits the loudspeakers. You suit up, load up and head out to the plane. After a 20-minute flight you are briefed about the jump spot and the fire behavior. A tap on the back tells you to hone your focus and remember every day of training you’ve had as you free fall into the atmosphere. Five seconds, a tug and tranquility follows the rush of adrenaline…
#Smokejumpers, #Wildfire, #WildlandFire, #WildlandFirefighters, #Aviation, #FireAndAviationManagement, #Fire, #Firefighters

National Incident Management Organization (NIMO)

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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

Prescribed fire boosts community safety & forest health

Image shows a wildland firefighter in safety gear and helmet dripping fire onto vegetation to continue a prescribed fire.
USDA Forest Service’s Michael Moranda uses a drip torch to light an underbrush fire during a prescribed fire operation in the Weaverville Community Forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by Bob Doucette)  On the lower slopes of Jackass Ridge, smoke wafted through an oak woodland canopy, its…
#PrescribedFire, #Fire, #Wildfire, #ControlledBurn, #Safety, #Firefighters, #WildlandFire

Saving historic Mount Wilson and crucial communications from Eaton Fire

Image shows three wildland firefighters on a ridgeline with the sun setting behind them and the sky is orange with smoke from the Eaton wildfire.
The Mount Wilson Observatory and communications equipment at the summit of Mount Wilson were protected both by actions taken by firefighters during the Eaton Fire and treatments applied months before the fire. (USDA Forest Service video by Andrew Avitt)At just under 6,000 feet, the Mount Wilson Observatory and communication site sit within the San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest…
#PrescribedFire, #WildlandFirefighters, #HazardousFuels, #FuelReduction, #WildlandFire

Mann Gulch remembered

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The new Mann Gulch sign in 2024. (USDA photo by Steven Miller)  MASSACHUSETTS — Seventy-five years after the historic Mann Gulch fire tragedy in the rugged forests of Montana, a solemn ceremony was held on Aug. 4, 2024, in Plymouth, Mass., at St. Joseph’s Cemetery to honor one of the fallen victims.…
#WildlandFire, #Remembrances, #WildlandFirefighters

Saipan wildland fire crews help fight California fires

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As part of the Forest Service’s Cooperative Fire Program, crews work together to clear roads while learning essential wildfire management skills. (USDA Forest Service photo by Shilo Springstead) CALIFORNIA — Continuing a long-standing partnership between the USDA Forest Service and the Commonwealth of the…
#WildlandFire, #InternationalPrograms