For Release: June 28, 2022 Contact: Jennifer Myslivy

208-789-6181, jmyslivy@blm.gov

First Annual National Wildland Firefighter Day Announced

Boise, Idaho - Wildland firefighting is difficult, physically arduous work, often largely undertaken out 

of the public eye. Every year, thousands of federal, state, local, Tribal, military and contract 

firefighters and support personnel respond to wildland fires across the U.S. As a result of climate 

change and other factors, these wildfires are increasingly larger and more complex, placing additional 

demands on a dedicated workforce.

In honor of our nation’s wildland firefighters who answer the call throughout the year, the National 

Interagency Fire Center’s Fire Management Board is proud to proclaim July 2, “National Wildland 

Firefighter Day.” The board represents the national fire programs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and USDA Forest 

Service, along with partners including the National Association of State Foresters, U.S. Fire 

Administration, the National Weather Service, and the Department of Defense. The July 2 date will 

hereafter be designated each year to honor the important work of wildland firefighters.

“Today we pause to recognize our dedicated wildland firefighters before they head out once again to 

fight larger and more intense wildfires across the West,” said Jerry Perez, Forest Service Director of 

Fire and Aviation Management. “These dedicated men and women are working to protect 

communities, private property and public lands in increasingly challenging conditions, and we are 

grateful for their work.”

“National Wildland Firefighter Day” will occur annually during the previously established, “Wildland 

Firefighter Week of Remembrance,” (June 30-July 6), during which wildland firefighters review the 

lessons of previous fatality fires and incorporate those safety principles into firefighting today. 

“National Wildland Firefighter Day” is the first designation of a day specifically for wildland 

firefighters. 

“While we support and appreciate wildland fire personnel today and every day, National Wildland 

Firefighter Day is designed to recognize the hard work and devotion of all wildland firefighters and 

support personnel who are the backbone of the wildland fire community,” said Grant Beebe, Bureau of 

Land Management Assistant Director, Fire and Aviation Management. 
On average, wildland firefighters respond to nearly 63,000 wildland fires every year across the U.S. 

Factors such as drought and wildfires in the wildland-urban interface have led to increasingly complex 

and challenging fire activity that starts earlier in the year and lasts later into the fall. Despite these 

conditions, wildland firefighters have remained dedicated and resilient – every year, they save lives, 

property, communities, infrastructure, and precious natural and cultural resources.

“Firefighters are integral to state operations, including those we rely on to help us from our federal and 

local interagency partners, private fire service and Tribal nations,” said George Geissler, Washington 

State Forester. “We could not do this alone.”

National Wildland Firefighter Day will offer an opportunity to reflect on those who have been lost 

during wildland firefighting while recognizing the on-going work of all federal, state, local, Tribal, 

military and contract wildland firefighters and support personnel.

For more information on National Wildland Firefighter Day, including a history of wildland 

firefighting and a toolkit including social media posts, images for printing and video clips, visit: 

https://www.nifc.gov/nwffd

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The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation's support center for wildland 

firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC including, the Bureau of Land Management, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Weather 

Service, U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Association of State Foresters.