Community Mitigation Assistance Team
What Community Mitigation Assistance Teams Do
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During incidents: CMATs work closely with Incident Management Teams, the Forest Service or other land management agencies and community residents and leaders to identify mitigation opportunities before a fire impacts the community.
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CMATS work with local partners to identify and help them resolve mitigation challenges and build long-term mitigation efforts using best practices.
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The team uses SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, one-on-one interviews, mentoring, best community risk reduction practices, mini-workshops, Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), risk and fire occurrence maps, home assessments, pertinent research, demographics, their experience, and close community collaboration to help communities move mitigation forward.
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Every assignment is different and dictated by individual community needs.
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CMATs don’t provide wildfire prevention/messaging, produce literature/product development or perform the work of the community/ordering authority.
Local enabling conditions to consider a CMAT
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The community is at medium to high risk of wildfire and has an identified mitigation challenge.
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There is an existing wildfire mitigation organization/coalition including local, state, and federal land management partners.
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Pertinent local, state, and federal partners have the capacity and desire to work closely with the team during the assignment and to implement resulting recommendations including follow-up reporting of accomplishments.
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Scope of the project should provide a good return on investment (long and short term) to justify cost to deploy a team.
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The ordering authority must provide a working location, internet access, and support for the CMAT during deployment.
Ordering a CMAT
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Any community that meets the conditions described above may request a CMAT through the local National Forest, Incident Command Team, or other federal land manager. Requests are vetted by the National CMAT Lead based on enabling conditions, need, and likelihood of success.
Want to be a CMAT member?
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Team members are highly proficient wildland urban interface mitigation specialists with extensive experience in community mitigation best practices and skills in analytical thinking, problem solving, wildfire behavior, collaboration, communication, and teamwork. Must be familiar with incident command.
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Assignments are usually 7-14 days/12-14 hour days; laptops, cell phones, and personal credit cards are required (expenses are reimbursed).
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Team members are ordered through IROC following interagency incident business management practices and are paid based on IROC status (agency employee, AD, or cooperator/partnership agreement) and reimbursed for travel and per diem per policy.
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Team members report to the team lead who functions as the liaison with the local Forest and community.
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If you are interested in becoming a team member fill out the application and e-mail to the CMAT Coordinator.
Assignments
2023
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Croatan National Forest, NC
2022
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Evergreen, CO
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Mount Hood National Forest, OR
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Sevier County
2021
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Grand County
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Lake County
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Santa Fe National Forest
2020
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Pike San Isabel National Forest
2019
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Alpine Wyoming
2018
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Montana Wildfires
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Spring Creek Fire
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Dollar Ridge Fire
2017
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Chetco Bar
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Pisgah National Forest
2016
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Pike San Isabel National Forest
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Bridger Teton National Forest
2015
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The Chelan Complex - Leavenworth
For more information contact the National Community Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager
Jonathan Bruno
Chief Operations Officer
Phone: 719-433-6775
Website: https://co-co.org/