The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages 193 million acres (780,000 km2) of land. Major divisions of the agency include the Chief's Office, National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Business Operations, and Research and Development. The agency manages about 25% of federal lands and is the only major national land management agency not part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which manages the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Edward Crockett Pulaski was a U.S. Forest Service ranger based in Wallace, Idaho. Pulaski traveled west and worked as a miner, railroad worker, and ranch foreman before joining the forest service in 1908. He was reputed to be, and personally claimed that he was, a collateral descendant of Casimir Pulaski.
In the United States, a Shot Crew, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is a team of 20-22 elite operators which mainly responds to large, high-priority fires across the country and abroad. They are assigned to work the most challenging parts of the fire and are considered strategic and tactical experts. Hotshots are a National Resource and their deployment is tightly controlled at the National Level. Hotshot crews are one of the most highly trained, skilled and experienced type of wild land firefighters. Second only to Smoke Jumpers. They are qualified to provide leadership for initial-attack and extended-attack on wildland fires. Hotshots are trained and equipped to work in remote areas for extended periods of time with minimal logistical support. They are organized by agencies such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and state/county agencies; the National Interagency Fire Center coordinates hotshot crews on the federal level.
The National Interagency Fire Center(NIFC) in Boise, Idaho is the physical facility which is the home to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), and the National Multi-Agency Coordination group.
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) was formed in the United States as a result of the aftermath of a major wildfire season in 1970, including the Laguna Fire.
The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999.
Wildfire suppression in the United States has had a long and varied history. For most of the 20th century, any form of wildland fire, whether it was naturally caused or otherwise, was quickly suppressed for fear of uncontrollable and destructive conflagrations such as the Peshtigo Fire in 1871 and the Great Fire of 1910. In the 1960s, policies governing wildfire suppression changed due to ecological studies that recognized fire as a natural process necessary for new growth. Today, policies advocating complete fire suppression have been exchanged for those who encourage wildland fire use, or the allowing of fire to act as a tool, such as the case with controlled burns.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. Founded in 1976, the NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides tools, resources, programs, and advocacy for first responders across the nation.
The Wildland Firefighters National Monument is an American monument and memorial dedicated to wildland and wildfire firefighters. The monument, which is located on one acre of land, stands on the grounds of the National Interagency Fire Center's (NIFC) headquarters in Boise, Idaho. The monument was dedicated on May 25, 2000.
William Thornton (1826–1848) was a Canadian firefighter. He was the first firefighter in Toronto to die in the line of duty. He was mortally wounded by a falling wall on November 22, 1848, suffering a severely fractured skull and other injuries. He died of his injuries two days later.
The La Brea Fire was a fast moving 2009 wildfire which occurred in Southern California in the United States. The fire began near La Brea Creek in Santa Barbara County, in the Los Padres National Forest. The fire started burning on August 8, and just 5 days later on August 13 had grown by 10,000 acres, or 40 sq. km. When the wildfire was finally contained on August 22, it had burned 89,489 acres of land. The huge Zaca Fire burned in the same region as the La Brea Fire, and occurred just two years prior in 2007.
The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is a state-level government agency of Idaho that manages State Trust Lands. IDL oversees forestry practices on state lands and some regulation of mining practices, as well as administering forestry programs and providing fire protection and prevention on state lands. IDL operates under the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners and is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Jake Ellis is an American politician and former firefighter from Idaho. Ellis was a Democratic member of Idaho House of Representatives for District 15, seat B.
The Command General Staff College Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit formed to support the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College located at Fort Leavenworth, KS. It was established in December 2005 by its three founders, retired Lt. Gen. Robert Arter, retired Colonel Robert R. Ulin and retired Colonel Willard B. Snyder. Col. Robert R. Ulin became the foundation's first Chief Executive Officer serving from 2005 to 2013. The foundation supports academics, the service members and their families who work and attend the college.
Alison "Ali" Rabe is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Idaho Senate for the 17th district from December 2020 to November 2021.
The Lone Peak Hotshots are an Interagency Hotshot Crew located in Draper, UT. The crew consists of 23 firefighters 7 of which are permanent and 16 of which are seasonal. The Lone Peak Hotshots season typically begins in mid April and extends until late October.
The 2021 wildfire season involves wildfires on multiple continents. Even at halfway through the calendar year, wildfire seasons were larger than in previous history, with increased extreme weather caused by climate change strengthening the intensity and scale of fires.
The Lolo Hotshots are a highly trained Interagency Hotshot Crew based out of the Lolo National Forest in west-central Montana. The crew consists of 21 highly trained permanent and seasonal wildland firefighters.
