< Previous10 www.nwsa.us National Conference Save the Date for NWSA’s 2026 March 10 -12, 2026 Peppermill Resort, Reno Nevada Details will be shared on our website, www.nwsa.us, as they become available.The National Wildfire Suppression Association 11 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 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. • 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 BENEFITS12 www.nwsa.us The way the federal government buys supplies and services – including wildfire-related work – has recently changed. While many core principles remain, understanding the key updates is crucial for contractors to stay competitive and compliant. This guide breaks down what’s new and what it means for your business. WHAT HASN’T CHANGED (THE FUNDAMENTALS REMAIN) Before diving into the changes, let’s quickly cover what’s stayed the same: • Wage requirements: Most wildfire work still falls under the Davis-Bacon Act (for construction) and Service Contract Act (for services). Wage rates are enforced as they always have been. • Safety and compliance: All existing safety standards, environmental rules, and operational regulations are still in effect. • Small business programs: Set-asides and preferences for small, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses continue to operate as before. • Qualified contractor status: Agencies will still verify your SAM.gov registration, financial resources, equipment, staff, track record, and integrity before awarding contracts. • Existing contract vehicles: Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), Multi-Award Task Order Contracts (MATOCs), and Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts are still in use and function similarly. KEY UPDATES: FASTER PROCESSES, NEW OPPORTUNITIES The most significant changes revolve around simplifying and speeding up the purchasing process for the agency personnel, but there are a few changes that will impact contractors (See chart on the following page). CLARIFICATIONS VS. NEGOTIATIONS: KNOW THE DIFFERENCE The new regulations clearly define these two important interactions: • Clarifications (minor fixes): These can happen anytime. Contracting officers might ask you to fix small errors, explain unclear language, or provide supporting documents. However, you cannot change material elements of your quote, such as revising your price or significantly altering your technical approach. • Negotiations (substantive improvements): If an acquisition moves beyond simple quote comparison, negotiations will occur. Officers can negotiate with only the most likely winners and can do so multiple times. The practical difference is that clarifications are for minor adjustments; negotiations are for significant improvements. Make your initial quote as complete and competitive as possible, as you might only get a chance for clarifications. EQUIPMENT OPERATORS: YOUR BPA ORDERS If you work under Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) for equipment and operators: • Calendar Year 2026: Your current dispatch procedures remain unchanged. Ordering based on availability, proximity, equipment type, and dispatch priority lists will continue. • 2027 and beyond: Agencies are considering modifying BPA ordering procedures, but no decisions have been made, and any changes would likely be gradual. THE BIG UNKNOWN: WILDFIRE CONTRACTING CONSOLIDATION Separate from the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) updates, recent Executive and Secretarial Orders will consolidate the USDA Forest Service and the Department of Interior wildfire contracting approaches. • What we know: Both agencies are directed to create a more unified approach to reduce duplication and improve efficiency. • What we don’t know: Details like which agency will oversee consolidation, whether they’ll adopt existing practices or start fresh, the timeline, and how it will affect current contracts are still unclear. • What this means for you: Significant uncertainty lies ahead. The FAR changes will apply regardless, but specific procedures and contract vehicles could change substantially depending on how consolidation is implemented. PRACTICAL STEPS FOR CONTRACTORS To thrive under these new regulations, consider these actions: • Maintain defensible pricing: Keep your rate sheets current and be ready to By Tiffany Taylor, Senior Policy Director, United Aerial Firefighters Association Navigating the New Rules: What Federal Contractors Need to Know About Acquisition UpdatesThe National Wildfire Suppression Association 13 Feature justify them with actual costs, regional market rates, or industry standards. • Submit complete quotes quickly: Speed matters. Have template quotes ready to customize and submit within 24-48 hours. Make your first quote your best, as you might only get clarifications. • For MATOC competitors: When agencies use HTR-FRP evaluations (See chart below), seize the opportunity to compete on quality. Document your capabilities thoroughly and price appropriately. Invest serious effort in base contract proposals. • Keep your business in good standing: Financial issues, compliance violations, or performance problems can quickly disqualify you. Keep your SAM registration current and resolve issues promptly. • Be responsive: Respond immediately if a contracting officer asks for clarifications. Slow responses can eliminate you. • Stay engaged on consolidation plans: Monitor news and agency communications regarding the USDA / DOI consolidation efforts. Participate in industry meetings to stay informed. THE BOTTOM LINE The trend is towards simpler and faster purchasing, with more emphasis on fair pricing and less on elaborate proposals. Agencies can make decisions with minimal documentation, making clean track records, competitive rates, complete quotes, and quick responses more critical than ever. For MATOC competitors, quality-focused evaluation offers new avenues to win based on capabilities, a welcome change from LPTA. The major unknown is the wildfire contracting consolidation between USDA Forest Service and DOI, which could reshape the entire landscape. Contractors who understand these new approaches and stay informed about consolidation developments will be best positioned for success as these procedures become standard. � Tiffany Taylor is the Senior Policy Director for the United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA). Prior to joining UAFA in April 2023, Tiffany held senior leadership positions at USDA and the Forest Service, overseeing contract operations and policy. Tiffany has over 24 years of federal contracting experience. This article provides general information about regulatory changes. Individual contract situations may vary based on specific agency requirements, contract types, and local procedures. For questions about how these changes affect your specific contracts, talk with your contracting officer or legal counsel. Full FAR updates are available at www.acquisition.gov. Update OldNewWhat This Means for Contractors Simplified processes at higher dollar thresholds Simplified acquisition threshold: <$250,000*. Simplified acquisition threshold: <$350,000*. More wildfire contracts will use faster, simpler request for quotation (RFQ) processes. Your quote is directly compared, not numerically rated. Less competition is needed. A Contracting Officer (CO) can just ask a minimum of three contractors to send a quote. The CO can decide to negotiate with just one vendor if they believe it’s in the best interest of the government. Streamlined commercial procedures: <$7.5 million*. Streamlined commercial procedures: <$9 million*. TimingStrict adherence to deadlines. Late quotes can be accepted (at the CO’s discretion). While not guaranteed, there’s a chance a late quote might be considered if it is in the best interest of the government. RFQ evaluation < $9M* Evaluation factors defined – Trade-offs for best value. No detailed rating schemes / evaluation factors or evaluation of past performance is required. The CO is not required to have evaluation plans, score quotations, or establish a competitive range before communicating with quoters or soliciting revised quotations. Award decisions will largely center on whether you meet the requirements and your price is market-based and justifiable. RFP evaluation >$9M* Focus on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Highest Technically Rated with Fair and Reasonable Price (HTR-FRP). The government no longer needs to document complex justifications for paying more for better quality. They simply identify the best technical proposals and verify fair and reasonable prices. Quality, capability, and performance can determine the winner, provided your pricing is reasonable for the market. On-ramps for multiple award contracts Vendors had to wait until the re-compete if they didn’t win (often five years later). When the agency needs more resources, they can get them without re-competing everything. Contracting Officers are encouraged to add new contractors to existing indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts during their performance period, offering more opportunities to receive an award even if you weren’t part of the initial selection. Task orders <$9M under existing Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) Fair opportunity to get award; usually using LPTA. Fair Opportunity applies but the CO may require you to “opt in” to receive the Task Order Request for Proposal (TORP). Limited submission requirements and use of innovative approaches to choose awards. Unless your MATOC specifically dictates ordering procedures, agencies can now use new streamlined approaches for individual task orders, including oral presentations. They are not required to have evaluation plans, score offeror responses, or establish a competitive range before negotiating or asking for updated offers. Task orders >$9M* under existing MATOC Fair opportunity to get award; usually using LPTA. Fair opportunity to get award; can now use HTR-FRP. Unless your MATOC specifically dictates ordering procedures and the use of LPTA, agencies can now use HTR-FRP. Feedback Formal debriefings (for certain values or types of contracts). “Brief explanations” (number of quotes, awardee, price, general reasons). <$9M* -- Less formal feedback if your quote isn’t selected. >$9M* -- If time permits, contracting officers may provide successful and unsuccessful offerors an opportunity to submit follow up questions after the postaward debriefing. Protest of task orders Order value must be > $10M.Order value must be > $20M.Fewer orders can be protested. * Total Estimated Value of the Order/Contract. If there are multiple awardees, the total value of all awarded contracts are combined14 www.nwsa.us The Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) model is a federal source selection process where contracts are awarded to the lowest-priced proposal that meets all minimum technical requirements. According to the federal government, key features of the LPTA process include: • The evaluation factors and significant subfactors that establish the requirements of acceptability must be set forth in the solicitation. • Trade offs are not allowed, which means higher priced proposals with better features cannot be looked at. • Proposals are evaluated for acceptability but not ranked using the non-cost / price factors. • Exchanges may occur. LPTA was created to promote fairness and control costs by awarding contracts to vendors who meet defined minimum standards at the lowest price, and – in theory – that makes sense. Fiscal responsibility matters and no one questions the need to spend public dollars wisely. However, the challenge comes when that same formula is applied to complex, high- risk operations like wildfire. “Fire is not a transactional business – it is unpredictable, dangerous, and dependent on capable people making sound decisions when conditions change without warning,” says Lost River Fire Management Service, Inc. President / CEO, Claren Nilsson. In addition to her role at Lost River, Nilsson is also President of the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA). “When cost becomes the defining measure of value, experience and readiness start to lose theirs.” On the ground, LPTA falls short of delivering value. Companies that invest in training, equipment, and personnel retention are often underbid by those operating at the bare minimum, creating a cycle that pushes qualified providers out of the system. The result is fewer dependable resources, inconsistent performance, and greater risk for firefighters and the public. Rates become unsustainable, staffing becomes unstable, and quality control becomes an afterthought. “A better model would maintain fiscal discipline while recognizing that safety, training, and proven performance are not negotiable,” says Nilsson. “LPTA was meant to By Paul Adair, Staff Writer BALANCING Firefighters positioned on the edge of the community of Castaic during the Hughes Fire in early 2025. Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service / Andrew Avitt. with LPTA and EERA Cost and ValueThe National Wildfire Suppression Association 15 Feature promote fairness, not to lower expectations for professional service. Wildfire response deserves contracts built on capability, not coupons.” LPTA ON THE FIRELINE Ultimately, the impact of the LPTA model has effects beyond procurement. By valuing cost above capability, it has reshaped the service landscape and created a structure that rewards minimal compliance rather than excellence. Many NWSA members will continue to invest in training, equipment, and personnel simply because it is the right thing to do but they also have come to recognize that the system as it is does little to support or incentivize that level of commitment. As a result, skilled crews drift toward other industries, entry-level positions are harder to fill, and the experience that once defined this workforce begins to erode. “For agencies, that erosion appears on the fireline as slower mobilization and inconsistent support. For contractors, it means maintaining professional standards in an environment that no longer rewards them,” says Nilsson. “What begins as a budgeting strategy becomes an operational weakness. If the goal is a resilient, professional wildfire workforce, contracting must reward capability, reliability, and preparedness. Anything less risks eroding the strength of the national response itself.” The ask of the private wildland fire services sector is that contracts measure more than price, and that experience and quality should not be assumed – they are factors that should be verified as conditions of award. “Reliability, leadership qualifications, safety performance, and seasonal readiness can all be quantified using existing data,” says Nilsson. “Training hours, compliance history, and past performance scores are measurable indicators of capability. These metrics can be evaluated before an agreement is issued with the same precision used to assess cost. The process is straightforward; it only requires the will to enforce it.” A NEW ‘EERA’ FOR MEDICAL RESPONSE As it stands, the current Emergency Equipment Rental Agreement (EERA) process managed by the At-Incident Management Support (AIMS) Surge Team is inconsistent and difficult to follow. Ordering procedures vary from one incident to the next and many contractors report little visibility into how selections are made. In some cases, decisions appear arbitrary, favoring vendors without clear justification or alignment to proximity or proven readiness. “NWSA was pushing AIMS to develop a better ordering policy, which they did – but it doesn’t seem like the policy was being consistently followed,” says Scott Maurer, Deployment Coordinator at Tri-County Ambulance Service, Inc. Maurer is also Chair of NWSA – Medical Services. “I know of at least a dozen medical trailer orders where we were less than two hours away from the incident and we never got a chance to bid on it. On one fire, I was told it was given to a closer resource due to being less than a 24-hour check in, even though we were actually closer. On the next fire, we weren’t awarded the contract due to our bid being $100 more a day, but we were an hour closer with an 18-hour check in time. So, tell me – which standard are they following?” From his perspective as NWSA – Medical Services Chair, Maurer sees the highly competitive and tremendously technical Rapid Extraction Modules (REMs) as being the larger issue when it comes to AIMS. Here, association members run into the same issues as medical trailers, as well as facing competition from cooperators. So, not only are they missing the chance to bid on jobs in their own towns, but they are also competing against others that can’t – or don’t – meet the standards set out by the agencies. “Teams are still not being inspected and refuse to comply with the standards, but are allowed to stay on the fire,” says Mauer. “It’s hard to compete against those not doing it right and cutting corners; AIMS has made it so there is no incentive to do it right.” The NSWA – Medical Services believes that if AIMS were to follow its own policy, it would be fairer for all involved, as well as provide greater value for the agencies. “The closest resource should get the order, that is how it is supposed to work,” says Maurer. “AIMS also needs to enforce the standards to make sure resources are compliant with their training and equipment. If a resource is non-compliant, then it should be removed from the fire, full stop. Someone needs to take ownership of the issue.” THE ROLE OF NWSA The NWSA has always been a strong advocate for private wildfire contractors and continues to represent the industry’s interests in Washington. Its leadership has made consistent efforts to engage federal decision makers and raise awareness of the operational challenges created by current contracting models. These advocacy and outreach efforts matter and having industry expertise present in those discussions ensures that policies are informed by the realities of the field, not by theory or budget. “Gathering data, presenting unified recommendations, and maintaining a clear connection between policy and field performance will help ensure that advocacy leads to real progress,” says Nilsson. “NWSA’s collective experience is our greatest asset and putting that experience to work will support the agencies that rely on dependable resources, the private companies that deliver them, and the public that depends on an effective national response.” � “What begins as a budgeting strategy becomes an operational weakness. If the goal is a resilient, professional wildfire workforce, contracting must reward capability, reliability, and preparedness. Anything less risks eroding the strength of the national response itself.” – Claren Nilsson, Lost River Fire Management Service, Inc.16 www.nwsa.us Feature National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) members recently had the opportunity to travel to Chile and provide basic firefighting training for Compañía Manufacturera de Papeles y Cartones (CMPC), a Chilean company that fights wildfires on its properties and neighboring lands. The training program is a result of more than two years of planning and collaboration between multiple organizations, including CMPC, Fires Foundation, Chile’s System for Analysis and Monitoring of Severe Events (SCAEM), and NWSA. Francis Franco of Franco Reforestation in Aumsville, Oregon, was part of the program when it first launched earlier this year, where he provided entry level training to highly experienced men and woman from multiple counties across South America. The success of this initial training then brought him back to Chile in October 2025 to further train an additional thousand of CMPC’s firefighting resources in preparation of its upcoming 2025/26 fire season. “The experience has been both an honor and a blessing, as well as a roller coaster ride and an exhausting voyage all at the same time,” says Franco. “The people of Chile are wonderful, and everyone involved in this collaboration made me feel as comfortable as possible and offered top notch accommodation. Honestly, I have made so many ‘fire bros and sisters’ here that I feel like my fire family has grown many times over.” The program was an eye-opener for Franco, who was taken aback by accumulative years of experience of the first class, as well as the incredible field day that showcased the range of CMPC resources, such as pumps, engines, hand tools of all sorts, and even an airplane equipped with aerial imaging. “The day I first saw the CMPC Center of Operations / Dispatch Center, my mind was blown – to me it looked like a high- tech operating center,” says Franco. “Most impressive, however, were the people working at the center. I remember thinking how young some of the men and woman looked to be taking on such an important role. But everyone seemed to be on their game, regardless of age.” RAISING STANDARDS Chile has never established an academic standard for wildfire training and needed one, which CMPC recognized after working alongside foreign countries, such as the United States and Mexico, during the country’s heavy fire seasons. “The adoption of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards will also show Chile’s ‘brigadistas’ that they are valued and that CMPC is willing to invest in them and – ultimately – their safety through training,” says Franco. “The goal of this collaboration was to create and adopt an academic standard for fighting wildfires, and in that regard, it has been a resounding – and rewarding – success.” International missions such as these typically speak about skills standardization. Franco has come to prefer the term By Paul Adair, Staff Writer NWSA Trains NWSA is working with CMPC to help elevate wildfire fighting standards in Chile. Photos courtesy of Francis Franco. This training is an investment by CMPC in improving its practices and a sign that it cares about the safety of its brigadistas. ‘globalization.’ He believes that in a world that often seems divided and at odds with itself, training opportunities like this offer unity; especially since wildfire is something that impacts everyone, regardless of what country they call home. He says, “Here in Chile, it is clear we have an opportunity to learn from one another. My amigo Juan Pardo had the opportunity to work with hotshots out of California in 2000 and said he was surprised about how much the United States focuses on safety. In 2025, I can say the exact about Chile’s fire program. It feels like we have come full circle and I am excited to see what types of international opportunities we can create with these trainings going forward.” �The National Wildfire Suppression Association 17 Gary Bennett has pretty much seen it all serving as an incident meteorologist for nearly a quarter century at the National Weather Service. After retiring in 2003 and starting his own consultation service, he received a contract with the State of Idaho to conduct management forecasts and, in this role, he has worked with the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) within an advisory capacity as the association’s fire meteorologist. “Fire weather meteorologists focus exclusively on fire-related weather conditions at any given time,” says Bennett. “We’re part of the fire team, working in the planning section alongside the fire behavior analyst, and we provide updates throughout the day on meteorological factors and potential concerns – things like temperature, humidity, and wind. As fire weather meteorologists, our top priority is firefighter safety and the information we provide is absolutely critical for those out in the field battling wildfires.” The information provided by fire meteorologists like Bennett helped tremendously through the 2025 fire season, which was marked by extreme drought and high temperatures that led it to be among one of the worst fire seasons on record – although it could have been a lot worse. REMEMBERING 2025 According to the National Interagency Fire Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, the 2025 fire season kicked off in April and ran deep into the fall, with peak activity happening during the hot and dry summer months. During this By Paul Adair, Staff Writer – 2025 in Review and Heat, Drought, Fuel Loads The edge of the Eaton Fire near Mt. Wilson, January 14, 2025. Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service / Andrew Avitt. Feature18 www.nwsa.us time, states across the western United States were experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions that were accompanied by higher-than-normal temperatures. In addition, persistent La Niña-like weather patterns have worked to further reduce precipitation and intensified heat across the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Southwest. As the time of this writing, there have been more than 52,000 fires recorded across the United States in 2025, which burned approximately 4.66 million acres of land. The destruction caused by the fires included thousands of homes, millions of dollars in critical infrastructure, and the tragic loss of life. “The biggest thing that I’ve seen with the 2025 fires is that, while there have been lots of fire starts – well above average – not a lot of acreage burned this year,” says Bennett. “To put it into perspective, we saw approximately 52,600 fires and 4.6 million acres burn in 2025. The average number of fires between 2015 and 2020 was about 8 million acres and roughly 10,000 less fire starts. So, last year was a much better year for fires than we’ve seen over the last decade.” Bennett believes that the main reason for the discrepancy was that, even though there were a high number of fire starts, there may not have been enough fuel to feed and grow the flames. Another factor was a lack of sustained wind patterns coming off the Cascades like was seen in 2024. He says, “While a lightning strike might land in a receptive fuel bed and it’s ready to burn and get pushed into becoming a larger fire by slope and a little bit of wind from the thunderstorm, the upward winds we saw in 2025 were lighter or absent, especially as we got into September, which resulted in more manageable fire spreads. I think that was probably one of the biggest reasons why our increases were significantly down this year, and we didn’t see any of the ‘zip code’ fires that we’ve seen in the past.” LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 It’s expected that climate change will continue to intensify wildfire seasons through 2026, prompting longer durations, higher severity, and greater unpredictability, as well as plenty of work for private wildland fire services contractors. While the official forecasts for the 2026 fire season have yet to be released, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has already identified several emerging climate indicators that may potentially affect the year ahead. This includes neutral to weak La Niña conditions that correlate with drier- than-average conditions across the western United States. This could lead to many western states continuing to experience long-term drought conditions and increased wildfire frequency and growth. Higher temperatures could also influence winter snowpack levels, which in turn could contribute to a longer fire season, especially if lower than average spring precipitation occurs. For his prognostications, Bennett uses data from organizations like NIFC and NOAA, but works in other factors that may play into the severity of the upcoming fire season. He then uses this information to forecast upcoming fire seasons to NWSA members at its annual convention. “I always make the disclaimer at the end of my presentation that this is my forecast, and it’s not affiliated with the National Weather Service,” says Bennett. “I may use data from other organization, which I sometimes disagree with, but I take plenty of other factors into account that many people don’t mention or talk about, such as oscillations of the atmosphere, ocean water temperatures, and sea surface temperatures.” In particular, Bennett is currently keeping a close eye on a large area of warm water in the northeast Pacific that may or may not be part of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and how this warm water may affect the expected La Niña conditions. “I call it the ‘Blob,’” says Bennett. “Nobody seems to be able to answer how – or if – this area of warm water will impact La Niña, but I believe it will probably have some kind of effect on the long-range forecast through the rest of 2025 and into next year. If I had to predict, I would say that the Blob will lessen the impact of La Niña but drought conditions will still continue through the first half of next year. Then – should the winds pick up – we could have a year more in line with years past.” �Feature The National Wildfire Suppression Association 19 With more than 52,000 fires and nearly five million acres burned across the country, 2025 gave the United States one of its most intense fire seasons ever and, whether it’s called notification overload, signal saturation, or warning exhaustion, alert fatigue is more and more becoming a challenge for United States’ wildfire response. Alert fatigue in wildfire zones can happen when the public receives many and/or frequent – albeit important – warnings through a variety of channels, such as text messages, sirens, social media, or broadcasted news alerts, and they begin to tune them out. “Alert fatigue is a response to messages that are inapplicable, or they’ve been repeated, or they’ve been poorly designed,” says Dr. Joel Iverson, Professor at the University of Montana’s Department of Communication Studies. “This can result in anything from frustration to anger to apathy because the public is simply tired of hearing the same message over and over.” But this desensitization towards warnings and alerts can lead to dire consequences for those in fire prone areas, resulting in ignored evacuation orders, delayed responses, and general confusion over which alerts are to be believed. ALERT FACTORS While there is a rise in the number of wildfires, there are other factors that lend themselves to alert fatigue. In some regions of the United States, wildfires awareness has almost become a year-long phenomenon, with residents receiving dozens of repeated evacuation warnings, air quality advisories, and daily updates over the fire season – all within a short period of time. In other parts of the country, rapidly changing fire conditions have led to inconsistent messaging, where one alert might warn of imminent danger and another might signal an all-clear. “If all you hear is that smoke is bad and fire is bad, then alert fatigue will naturally set in because there’s really nothing new the public can do with that same message,” says Iverson. “People think in stories, so a well- designed message not only needs to deliver information about what actions they can take, they need to see how that messaging works and fits into their life. They also need By Paul Adair, Staff Writer continued on page 22Next >