The Protected Lands Council is responsible for the development and implementation of a fire management plan. Upon completion, the fire management plan is subject to legal review, and should be distributed to all potentially interested agencies, including but not limited to fire departments. One or more public meetings to present and discuss the plan should be held. A public education and notification program should be carried out. This dialogue should present a scientifically sound message about fire's ecological role.
Safety is of paramount importance with any prescribed burn program.
Each prescribed burn is carried out only under carefully prescribed conditions of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity. Such burns are carefully planned and timed, with firebreaks prepared ahead of time. Volunteer fire departments are not expected to carry the burden or to provide resources including personnel or equipment. However, fire departments should participate in the planning, and in the event of an escape and the prescribed burn being declared a wildfire, the local fire chief could be called upon to serve as Incident Commander. At present, only the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and The Nature Conservancy have individuals trained to carry out prescribed burns in the pine barrens.