FIRELINE The official publication of the National Wildfire Suppression Association Spring 2023 BEST VALUE Rewarding in the PRIVATE WILDLAND FIRE SERVICETable of Contents Published for: The National Wildfire Suppression Association Physical Address: 228 SW Broadway Mill City, OR 97360 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 169 Mill City, OR 97360 Executive Director: Debbie Miley Tel: (877) 676-6972 Direct Line: (503) 897-6150 Published by: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 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Up Front 07 A Message from the NWSA Executive Director, Deborah Miley 09 The Role of the National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire & Emergency Incident Support 11 NWSA Sponsorship Opportunities NWSA Insider 25 Meet NWSA’s Members 34 Meet NWSA’s Instructors 35 Meet NWSA’s Sponsors 36 Tools of the Trade 38 Index to Advertisers Features 13 Rewarding Best Value in the Private Wildland Fire Service 15 New Complex Incident Management Teams Coming Soon 17 Clearing the Forest for the Trees 19 The Latest Tech to Battle the Blaze 21 Meet Our Members On the cover: During a pile burn to remove the hazardous fuels on California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest, a firefighter tends to a burning pile of brush to ensure that it is fully consumed and contained. Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service. The National Wildfire Suppression Association 7 Up Front Someone recently suggested for me to “never assume that anybody knows anything about your industry.” This is great advice to remember as we become embedded in our own little world and believe that people know about the professional private wildland fire service, which is unfortunately not always the case. One of our main goals this year is to promote our industry and the services that we bring to the table for our agency partners, landowner groups, and others. Over 2022 and into 2023, there have been many things implemented that our industry can help support the agencies with, such as the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These measures have allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to invest approximately $5.5 billion across the shared landscape to reduce wildfire risk and to restore our forest to a healthy, productive landscape, while also improving the environment and recreation opportunities and addressing climate change. They have also delivered a $930 million investment across 45 million acres on national forest to reduce wildfire risk across 11 landscapes in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. We know that it will take a skilled workforce to meet these lofty goals, and our members who have years of experience in prescribed fire, wildfire suppression, wildfire recovery, and fuels treatment are educating those responsible about our capacity to help them meet their objectives. We are working with our agency partners to look at current and other contract vehicles that could be available to our industry so they can easily access a turnkey sector to help with this work. The most recent numbers available from the professional private wildland fire services indicate we can bring this to the table: • 23,000 pieces of heavy equipment (excavators, masticators, dozers); • 42,000 pieces of water handling equipment (tenders and engines); and • 456 20-person hand crews. Reducing wildfire risks will take an army, and the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) member companies are prepared to step up and support the agency in their mission. Getting this work done not only will provide stability to these much-needed industries, but it will also help us work to improve and protect our own communities as we collaboratively work towards solutions that help mitigate the impact of climate change. A Message from the NWSA Executive Director, Deborah Miley Deborah Miley NWSA Executive Director What do we Bring to the Table? Reducing wildfire risks will take an army, and the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) member companies are prepared to step up and support the agency in their mission. Connect with NWSA More than 419 contract crews and approximately 14,500 pieces of specialized equipment are available from Professional Private Wildland Fire Services for dispatch across the United States. Connect with us for more information! Online: https://www.nwsa.us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ company/national-wildfire-suppression- association Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nwsafire Email: nwsa@wvi.comThe National Wildfire Suppression Association 9 Up Front Thirty-three years ago, a group of private contractors were approached by the agencies with a suggestion that perhaps the private industry needed a united voice when dealing with them on contract and training issues. Out of that, the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) was formed in 1991 at a meeting of 10 companies in Reno, Nevada. Their mission was to provide a voice for the professional private fire services. Braving the smoke, heat, and danger of wildland fires, as well as the aftermath of other national disasters, is a multitude of federal, state, and local agencies. When the magnitude of the event exceeds their available resources, these agencies can call in reinforcements from the professional private fire services through pre-existing agreements and contracts. Today, the NWSA represents 342 private firefighting companies in 28 states, as well as Canada and Australia. We can field a workforce of over 15,000 trained firefighters, as well as a large contingency of equipment, during the height of wildfire season. These folks provide resources that include water handling resources, heavy equipment, faller modules, 20-person hand crews, and other specialized resources that complement the toolbox of resources the agencies have for wildland fire response. Today, approximately 45 percent of all fire resources are provided by the professional private fire services. When lives are on the line, the agencies must have confidence in all the resources that are part of the fire community. Since 1991, the mission of the NWSA has been to ensure that its members earn that confidence. NWSA advocacy includes working as a cooperator in the wildland fire services to build positive relationships with agency partners, and to advocate for professionalism within the industry, as well as providing an exchange of information on issues related to the industry. Why is there a need for the private professional contract fire services? It was started in the 1980s during an era of The Role of National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire and Emergency Incident Support shrinking agency budgets, and a growing number of large fires. By the end of the 1990s, these events led to the first hand- crew agreement between private wildland fire services and the agencies. NWSA has built many working relationships with the federal, state, and local governments as well as national and state politicians, and prides itself on working to resolve issues of concern to create a better working environment for all parties. Not only do NWSA members provide resources for wildfire response, but they also perform a lot of project work for wildfire recovery and wildfire mitigation. NWSA has long held onto the value of protecting the forest through mitigation work rather than protection by wildfire suppression efforts and the industry stands ready to perform that work not only for agency partners, but for many landowners as well. The majority of NWSA member companies are located in rural America and provide family wage jobs to folks in their areas. Most of their employees live, play, and work in these forests and therefore, they have a personal stake in helping to protect these landscapes and take a strong sense of pride in their accomplishments. � Along with providing wildfire response, the NWSA protects forests across the country through its various mitigation efforts.Next >