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Building community to mitigate wildfires

Image shows a collage of four photographs. The left-most shows two people walking towards a car with a hill in the background, the second from the left shows a woman marking on a map on a wall, the third from the left shows a man showing a group of people something in the undergrowth of a forest, and the fourth from the left shows a group of people standing around a table.
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)

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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

Coffee Can Saddle Fire tree strike learning review

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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

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

All-tribal work crew takes many steps toward improved tribal relations

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COLORADO — A proverb attributed to the philosopher Lao Tzu famously states that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." On the Grand Mesa, Uncompahagre and Gunnison National Forests, six people helped the forests take that first step toward enhancing, expanding and improving relationships with American Indian Tribes and tribal members.In the summer of 2024, working with the Rio…
#WildlandFirefighters

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