FIRELINE The official publication of the National Wildfire Suppression Association Summer 2024 EVOLVING An NWSATable 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 President, Claren Nilsson 08 The Role of the National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire & Emergency Incident Support 09 NWSA Sponsorship Opportunities NWSA Insider 30 Meet NWSA’s Members 35 Meet NWSA’s Instructors 36 NWSA’s Corporate Sponsors 37 Tools of the Trade 38 Index to Advertisers Features 10 An Evolving NWSA 13 Happy Retirement to Debbie Miley 15 A Shared Concern About the Process 16 Lowest Price Technically Acceptable: Perspectives from Both Sides and How We Move Forward 23 Who’s Who at the Agencies 25 NWSA Now Offers Medical Plans Through SLICE 27 Mobile Firefighting Technology for Vegetation Fires 28 Building a Legacy On the cover: The newly formed NWSA Incident Base Camp Chapter is ensuring that fire crews have a home away from home along the fireline. Photo courtesy of Expeditors Fire Support. The National Wildfire Suppression Association 7 I would like to thank everyone from the private wildland fire service for your dedication to meeting the mission, no matter how difficult that mission may be. This is a dynamic time, with groundbreaking innovations advancing strategies in wildfire suppression and the safe execution of prescribed fire. Looking ahead, we will continue to face challenges that make a significant impact on our families and businesses. Special thanks to Chief Moore, Jeff Marsolais, Ben McGrane, Sarah Fisher, Dave Haston, and so many others from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their openness to new ideas, and for providing initiatives to refine contracting options that are pivotal in addressing the wildfire crisis through collaborative strategies with the private wildland fire service. A heartfelt thank you also goes out to Debbie Miley for her unwavering commitment to our board of directors, membership, and her contributions to new chapters and resources. As fire season heats up, may you all have a safe summer! A Message from the NWSA President, Claren Nilsson Claren Nisson NWSA Executive Director 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@nwsa.us Up Front MAKE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NWSA’S ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, DECEMBER 10-12, 2024 AT THE PEPPERMILL RESORT IN RENO, NEVADA!8 www.nwsa.us Up Front Thirty-four 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 375 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 shrinking agency budgets, and a growing The Role of National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire and Emergency Incident Support 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.The National Wildfire Suppression Association 9 Up Front SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY! PLATINUM – $10,000 • A 2 x 3-inch advertisement on NWSA’s Corporate Sponsorship page online. • A discounted rate for a full-page ad in FIRELINE, which is NWSA’s full color magazine. Cost: $1,800 based on two times per year contract, for a total of $3,600. This is a savings of $640 per issue. FIRELINE has a readership of over 3,000! • A full screen advertisement at the annual NWSA National Conference. • A 30-minute presentation during NWSA’s “New Technology” breakout at the National Conference. • A monthly email blast direct to NWSA members with your content. • A monthly social media post (submit content for the post by the 1st of each month). • NWSA membership mailing list. • Sponsorship opportunities at the NWSA National Conference. • Free booth space at our vendor with premium spot choice. GOLD – $5,000 • A 2 x 3-inch advertisement on NWSA’s Corporate Sponsorship page online. • A discounted rate for a full-page ad in FIRELINE, which is NWSA’s full color magazine. Cost: $1,800 based on two times per year contract, for a total of $3,600. This is a savings of $640 per issue. FIRELINE has a readership of over 3,000! • A monthly email blasts direct to NWSA members with your content. • A 15-minute presentation during NWSA’s “New Technology” breakout at the National Conference. • NWSA membership mailing list. • Bi-monthly social media posts (submit content for the post by the 1st of each month). • Sponsorship opportunities at the NWSA National Conference. • $350 off booth space at our vendor. • SILVER – $2,500 • A 2 x 3-inch advertisement on NWSA’s Corporate Sponsorship page online. • A 5% discount on a ¼ page or ½ page ad in FIRELINE magazine, plus a free hyperlink. • Quarterly email blasts to NWSA members with your content. • Quarterly social media posts (submit content by 1st of the month of each quarter). • NWSA membership mailing list. • A five minute “Get to know your vendor” opportunity during NWSA’s annual business meeting. • $250 off booth space at our vendor. BRONZE – $1,250 • A 2 x 3-inch advertisement on NWSA’s Corporate Sponsorship page online. • A 5% discount on a ¼ page or ½ page ad in FIRELINE magazine, plus a free hyperlink. • Quarterly email blasts to NWSA members with your content. • Quarterly social media posts (submit content by 1st of the month of each quarter). • A five minute “Get to know your vendor” opportunity during NWSA’s annual business meeting. • $100 off booth space at our vendor. Each sponsorship lasts for one full calendar year. Become an NWSA Corporate Sponsor and gain access to over 300 companies that need your specific expertise, services, and products! NWSA CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP LEVELS BENEFITSNext >