Rapid Response and Quality Support
Braving the smoke, heat and danger of wildland fires or the aftermath of disasters and emergency incidents is an “army” of federal/state and local agency responders battling to contain the crisis. When the magnitude of the event exceeds agency resources, these agencies can call in reinforcements from professional wildland fire contractors: 20-person firefighting crews, timber faller modules, engines, tenders and other specialized equipment.
Pre-existing agreements and contracts with the agencies allow National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) member and associate member companies to dispatch these resources immediately.
More than 626 Type 2 crews, 42 Type 2 IA and approximately 22,000 pieces of specialized equipment is available from Professional Private Wildland Fire Services for dispatch across the U.S.
Because of budget cutbacks and increased fire activity, agencies are increasingly calling on these private resources on an as-needed basis. They are paid only for time worked on the line. The contractor bears all costs of training, equipment, travel, and insurance costs.
After a 12-14 hour shift on the line, agency and private contractor crews need a place to eat, sleep, shower and revitalize. In addition to providing crews, engines, tenders and other specialized equipment for the front lines, contractors can send resources to set up a totally operational camp: shower, laundry, lavatory, and housing units, as well as catering operations that can feed thousands of firefighters or emergency responders.
Fire Recovery
Wildfire recovery takes a steady course of assessing damage, evaluating new conditions, and deciding what to do after a wildfire has occurred. The ultimate goal is renewal, rehabilitation, and re-vegetation. This takes patience and persistence to attain. Processes need to be in place after a wildfire to help minimize erosion, retain forest structure, reduce potential for anothe
Home Protection with Insurance Companies
Some of our NWSA Members work with insurance companies to provide preventative action when a wildfire potential exists. That could include removing hazardous fuels from the area around a home, using a heat-absorbing fire gel, and setting up perimeter sprinklers as preventative measure to protect a homeowner’s property.
Conclusion
Our industry has performed the above functions since the 1970s in some cases and are well equipped to meet the growing needs of wildfire prevention. Also, the Wildland Firefighting companies provide jobs to rural areas that are most impacted by wildfire.