An official website of the United States government Here's how you know Forest Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MENU Home Managing the Land Wildland Fire Related Content Current Fire Information Wildland Fire Statistics National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Fire Prevention Fire Science and Technology Careers in Wildland Fire Information for Wildland Fire Professionals Wildland Fire and Related Videos The Rising Cost of Wildfire Operations Greening Fire Team - Sustainability and Fire Aviation Technology Modernization Projects John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act Managing the Land Forests and Grasslands Natural Resources Recreation Management Fire Management Sustainability and Climate Invasive Species Private Land Urban Forests International Cooperation Wildland Fire Fire Management Today Founded in 1936, Fire Management Today has served the wildland fire community for more than 70 years as a clearinghouse for new techniques, technologies, and ideas. It has provided a forum open to anyone with anything useful to share with other wildland fire professional. Learn More >> Previous Next Wildland fires are a force of nature that can be nearly as impossible to prevent, and as difficult to control, as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Wildland fire can be a friend and a foe. In the right place at the right time, wildland fire can create many environmental benefits, such as reducing grass, brush, and trees that can fuel large and severe wildfires and improving wildlife habitat. In the wrong place at the wrong time, wildfires can wreak havoc, threatening lives, homes, communities, and natural and cultural resources. The Forest Service has been managing wildland fire on National Forests and Grasslands for more than 100 years. But the Forest Service doesn’t – and can’t – do it alone. Instead, the agency works closely with other federal, tribal, state, and local partners. This is more important than ever because over the last few decades, the wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Longer fire seasons; bigger fires and more acres burned on average each year; more extreme fire behavior; and wildfire suppression operations in the wildland urban interface (WUI) have become the norm. To address these challenges, the Forest Service and its other federal, tribal, state, and local partners have developed and are implementing a National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy that has three key components: Resilient Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and Safe and Effective Wildfire Response. Learn how U.S. Forest Service fire managers respond to wildfires on National Forest System lands. Being a Wildland Firefighter These guides will help firefighters and their families prepare for, and respond to, a realm of planned and unplanned situations in the world of wildland firefighting. These guides provide honest information, resources, and conversation starters to give you, the firefighter, helpful tools to prepare yourself and your family for the realities of performing as a wildland firefighter. Preparedness Guide for Firefighters and Their Families (2019 Edition) U.S. Forest Service Supplement -of the Preparedness Guide for Firefighters and Their Families (2020 Update) Wildland Fire Suppression Occupations Engine Crews Handcrews Helitack Crews & Emergency Medical Short-Haul Hotshots People Working in Fire Smokejumpers Wildland Fire Resources Aviation Aerial Firefighting Use and Effectiveness (AFUE) Aviation Aviation Professionals Aviation Safety Management Systems Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) U.S. Forest Service & Interagency Aviation Publications Contracting Contracting Fuels Management Resilient Landscapes Prescribed Fire Mechanical Treatment Incident Business Incident Business Practices All-Hazard Incidents Prevention Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT) Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Official Smokey Bear Licensees and Products Property Excess Personal Property & Firefighter Property Program Publications Fire Publications Interagency Fire Program Management Standard (IFPM) Resources Equipment and Tools Fire Forecasting Interagency Wildland Fire Chemicals Policy & Guidance Land Rehabilitation and Restoration Managing Fire Wildland Fire Vehicles Safety eMedical Risk Management Training Work Capacity Test (WCT) Visit Us Managing the Land Learn Science and Technology Working with Us About the Agency Inside the FS askUSDA Contact Us Sitemap Policies & Links Our Performance Careers Report Fraud on USDA Contracts Visit OIG Plain Writing Open FOIA Accessibility Statement Privacy Policy Non-Discrimination Statement Anti-Harassment Policy Information Quality USA.gov Whitehouse.gov eGov Feedback No FEAR Act Data Forest Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE