National Wildland Fire Preparedness Levels 

A Summary of the Nation’s Wildfire Response Stages

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC), composed of wildland fire representatives from each wildland fire agency based at the National Interagency Fire 

Center (NIFC), establishes Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to ensure suppression resource availability for emerging incidents across the country. Preparedness 

Levels are dictated by fuel and weather conditions, fire activity, and fire suppression resource availability throughout the country. 

The five Preparedness Levels range from the lowest (1) to the highest (5). Each Preparedness Level includes specific management actions and involves increasing levels of interagency resource commitments. As Preparedness Levels rise, so does the need for Incident Management Teams (IMTs) and suppression resources, which include wildland fire 

crews, engines, helicopters, airtankers and other aircraft, and specialized heavy equipment, such as bulldozers. Many of these resources and teams are Federal and state employees. 

IMTs are specialized teams of experienced, interagency wildland fire personnel who manage large, complex wildland fire incidents. IMTs manage wildland fires so that local units 

can free up their resources to focus on new and emerging incidents.

Preparedness 

Level 1 (PL 1)

During this time, fire personnel 

are able to suppress wildfires 

in their respective geographic 

areas without requesting additional wildland fire resources 

from other areas or from the 

National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), based 

at the National Interagency 

Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. 

Fire activity is typically below 

normal at this level.

Preparedness 

Level 2 (PL 2)

At this stage, several 

geographic areas are experiencing high to extreme fire 

danger, though they are able 

to manage fire activity without 

requesting many wildland 

fire suppression resources 

from other areas. Few of the 

country’s IMTs are assigned 

to wildland fire incidents.

Preparedness 

Level 3 (PL 3)

This stage typically involves 

two or more geographic areas 

requiring significant amounts 

of wildland fire suppression resources from other 

areas. At this point, NICC is 

moving an increased amount 

of wildland fire suppression 

resources around the country, 

including IMTs.

Preparedness 

Level 4 (PL 4)

This level involves three or more 

geographic areas experiencing 

large, complex wildfires requiring 

IMTs. Geographic areas are 

competing for wildland fire 

suppression resources and about 

60 percent of the country’s 

IMTs and wildland firefighting 

personnel are committed to wildland fire incidents.

Preparedness 

Level 5 (PL5)

This is the highest level of 

wildland fire activity. Several 

geographic areas are experiencing 

large, complex wildland fire 

incidents, which have the potential to exhaust national wildland 

firefighting resources. At least 80 

percent of the country’s IMTs and 

wildland firefighting personnel are 

committed to wildland fire incidents. At this level, all fire-qualified federal employees become 

available for wildfire response.