NWSA to support State and Federal Work to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires

March 2023

The National Wildfire Suppression Association and its Members Bring Depth of Experience to Support State and Federal Work to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires

Allocated funds to support fuels management, prescribed fire and forest restoration will require resources already available through the Professional Private Wildland Fire Services companies.

[Mill City – February 2, 2023] – Recognizing years of underfunded forest management, State and Federal agencies have the mandate to do more fuels management, prescribed fire and forest restoration work to help mitigate the catastrophic wildfires we’ve seen in the West.

The Professional Private Wildland Fire Service members of NWSA have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with agency personnel in wildfire suppression work for nearly 40 years. With the increased priority on prevention work, the same companies bring the necessary skills, equipment, and expertise to protect at-risk communities and critical infrastructure.

“The priority from the US Department of Agriculture and the US Forest Service to create a 10-year hazardous fuels strategy is clear,” says Debbie Miley, National Wildfire Suppression Association Executive Director. “Our members are currently working under USFS contracts for incident response and are available to do fuels mitigation work with a turn key industry now.”

Through existing agreements, NWSA members can provide more than 400 crews and 14,000 other resources including hand crews, water handling and heavy equipment.

“NWSA members experience, perspective and capabilities want be part of the solution,” adds Lee Miller, NWSA President. “We have many members that are subject matter experts in these fields and can provide valuable perspectives.”

NWSA is working with its partners at the State and Federal level to find ways to meet the goals in the 10-year plan laid out in the Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

About NWSA

The National Wildfire Suppression Association represents over 300 private wildland fire services contractors who operate on an as-needed basis to provide federal/state and local agencies with a variety of resources for wildland fire, wildfire recovery, prescribed burnings and other emergency incidents.