Bureau of Land Management | National Interagency Fire Center

The BLM, a leader in wildland fire management, conducts a broad range of actions to protect the public, natural landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, and other values and resources. The bureau’s national fire and aviation program, BLM Fire, which focuses on public safety as its top priority, consists of fire suppression, preparedness, predictive services, vegetative fuels management, community assistance and protection, and fire prevention through education. To meet its wildland fire-related challenges, the BLM fields highly trained professional firefighters and managers who are committed to managing fire in the most effective and efficient manner.

As the largest and most complex fire program within the Department of the Interior, BLM Fire is directly responsible for fire management on more than 245 million acres. This land is commonly intermixed with other federal, state, and local jurisdictions, making partnerships and collaborative efforts crucial to the mission of safety and fire management. Overall, BLM Fire implements fire protection on approximately 650 million acres of public land with other fire management agencies.

BLM Fire, located at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, manages program budget at a national scale, sets policy and program standards, and works closely with the DOI’s Office of Wildland Fire, DOI sister agencies, the USDA Forest Service, state and other organizations.

Check out our most recent video about our helitack crews! Learn more by downloading this suppression resources infographic. You can also listen to our Wildfire Matters podcasts.

We are BLM Fire: Helitack Crews

Fire Restrictions

Check out the fire restrictions across the BLM. It's important to #KnowBeforeYouGo and #RecreateResponsibly while enjoying your public lands.

BLM Fire Facebook

From airtankers and helicopters to smokejumper aircraft and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), aviation resources are essential in the fight against wildfires. These efforts provide critical support to firefighters on the ground, ... delivering water and retardant, transporting crews and equipment, and helping keep communities safe. During National Aviation Week, we join the nation in recognizing the importance of these resources and the people behind them. 🛩 Photo by Kyle Sullivan, BLM

On today’s National Fire News from the National Interagency Fire Center, you'll notice some BLM yellow buggies! Our BLM Idaho Fire Snake River Interagency Hotshots are hard at work on the Beulah Fire in Utah. ➡️Follow NIFC ... for daily updates on National Fire News. Bureau of Land Management - Idaho

As we head into the final week of August, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the crews and support personnel who continue to push through this fire year. Safety of our personnel and the public remains our top priority, so ... remember to take care of yourself and look out for your crew. The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched the Wildland Fire Therapy Service, where services are offered for mental health tailored for wildland firefighters, dispatchers, and support personnel. This work requires extraordinary commitment, and one's health and wellbeing deserve the same. ➡Wildland Fire Therapy Service: https://member.magellanhealthcare.com/web/wildland-firefighter Photo by Mícaela Salcido - BLM Idaho Fire on the Sand Creek Fire.

An important part of improving the way we fight fire and keep our Bureau of Land Management crews safe is to look to the past for lessons learned. The 1910 fire year in the Northern Rockies was an unprecedented challenge to the ... U.S. Forest Service. Record drought conditions combined with an unusually strong lightning cycle and an abundance of human-caused wildfires. By July 15, there were over 3,000 firefighters in Region 1. On August 8, President Taft deployed several U.S. Army companies to northern Idaho and western Montana to help fight the fires. On August 20, a cold front moved through the Northern Rockies between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM. This brought a strong west/southwest wind that caused many of the fires to blow up and join together to create large fire fronts that moved across the landscape. Crews found themselves in danger of entrapment. Many were able to take refuge in previously burned areas, natural safety zones, and mine tunnels. Some were completely cut off, and by the end of the day, 85 people - 78 of them firefighters - had lost their lives at 9 separate fatality sites. 📸Burned timber on Rainey Creek in Lolo National Forest, MT following the 1910 fires. NWCG 6MFS: https://www.nwcg.gov/6mfs/day-in-history/the-great-fires-of-1910-the-big-blowup-august-20th

The Bureau of Land Management and the Grand Junction Regional Airport have partnered for more than 50 years so that the airport could serve as a place for firefighting aircraft to take off and land. Partnership milestones reached ... this year include more than 1.5 million gallons of retardant delivered to fires across the Western Slope and more than 1,000 aircraft launches (including air tankers and helicopters). “Beyond the strategies and tools, it’s the heart of our mission that truly matters,” Upper Colorado River District Fire Management Officer Tommy Hayes said. “It’s the compassion we show to those in need, the dedication we bring to our work, and the unwavering support we provide to one another that defines who we are.” Bureau of Land Management - Colorado BLM Colorado Fire

Behind the decisions on the ground, is good weather intel. BLM Fire is responsible for managing the Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS), which provide critical data to help fire managers and firefighters make safe, ... strategic decisions. Hear from Jack Messick, Incident Meteorologist on the Beulah Fire, about the vital role weather plays in wildfire response.

When wildfires break out, the news often shows the flames, helicopters, and airtankers dropping retardant. But what about the work happening behind the scenes? That’s where Fire Incident Business Specialists come in. They ... secure land use agreements for helicopter dip sites, coordinate and set up agreements with caterers and showers for firefighters and support staff, and help secure locations for Incident Command Posts, all to ensure the incident response runs smoothly. Check out this #WeAreBLMFire video to see the vital role these specialists play in wildfire response.

Right there near the fireline and our wildland firefighters are Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS), providing real-time data like wind speed, relative humidity, and air temperature. This information helps fire management ... and firefighters make safe, strategic decisions. Bureau of Land Management employees manage the RAWS program nationwide, supporting many of our interagency partners and wildfire operations nationwide. 📸Post Fire, photo by Brenden Jasper.