California and Nevada Region
Conserving the Nature of California, Nevada and Klamath Basin

Fire Program

Sacramento NWR

USFWS Photo

Please Read Fire Memo: Fire Season Coordination with Land Management Agencies and Local Fire Authorities

Fire protection, mitigation, and management are essential components in meeting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) mission managing over 2,289,700 acres of land in California, Nevada and the Oregon Klamath Basin (CNO Fire Program).  This includes management of 50 National Wildlife Refuges, 3 National Fish Hatcheries, and numerous other sites.  Visit our Refuge, Hatchery and Field Office websites for local program information

The Service’s Fire Management Program is currently administered as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System and protects and manages all burnable acres on Service lands. The program also provides mutual aid to other federal, state, and local fire management agencies, and participates in many collaborative forums for the protection of communities at risk to wildfire.  More information on the Service’s Fire Management Program can be found at http://www.fws.gov/fire.

The Fire Management Program implements the Service’s mission in tandem with the goals of the National Fire Plan, which is a joint initiative of the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior guiding the priorities of all federal wildland fire programs. The best available science guides Service fire management plans to protect human safety, reduce hazardous conditions, conserve wildlife and its habitat, minimize air quality impacts, and meet other desirable goals.  Visit the National Fire Plan website for more information at http://www.fireplan.gov/

The CNO Fire Program includes regional fire managers who oversee general budget, planning and policy for the Service in California and Nevada, Zone Fire Managers that oversee fire programs for Refuges, Hatcheries, and Field Offices within the zone area and other Refuge fire supportstaff. 

CNO Fire Program Policies

Zone Fire Programs

Klamath http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/fire/index.html
Sacramento  http://www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefuges/FireManage.htm
Desert
San Luis
San Diego
Wildland Urban Interface north
Wildland Urban Interface south

Zone Fire Map

CNO Overview Map

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Wildfire

Remnants of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge sign after the 2003 Piru Fire.  A wildfire which burned 63,991 acres including properties on the National Wildlife Refuge, Los Padres SESPE Wilderness Area and SESPE Condor Sanctuary.

USFWS Photo

Program management related to wildfire includes Prevention, Preparedness, Suppression and Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R).  Wildfires are unplanned, unwanted wildland fires including unauthorized human-caused fires, escaped wildland fire use events, escaped prescribed fire projects, and all other wildland fires where the objective is to put the fire out (suppression).  The methods, techniques, and tools used by the Service for fire prevention, suppression and ES&R activities are identified within individual refuge Fire Management Plans (FMPs).

 

Current information about wildfires:

 Information about communities at risk (CAR) to wildfire:

Information on how to protect your home from wildfires:

Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management

Sacramento River NWR

USFWS Photo

Prescribe fire and fuels management includes the use of controlled burns and mechanical treatments to reduce hazardous fuels and improve habitat conditions.  Prescribed fire is any fire ignited through management actions to meet specific objectives.  These management actions help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires that can threaten people, fish, wildlife, and plants.  For more information about the Service’s prescribed fire and fuels management go to http://www.fws.gov/fire/prescribed_fire.htm or local refuge and field office websites.

Fire Ecology

 Geese and pheasants forage within a prescribed burn area on the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.

USFWS Photo

The Service pays great attention to managing refuge and hatchery lands to enhance habitats for plants, fish, and wildlife.  The majority of habitats in California and Nevada evolved around fire in the ecosystem.  Fire is not only a management tool but a critical component of a functioning ecosystem.  It is a necessary process for many plants and animals to survive in the environment.  Some plants need fire to open seeds and sprout; others need fire to reduce competition with nonnative plans for water and nutrients.  Many animals need a mosaic of vegetation to forage and breed, which fire can naturally provide. The Service also provides guidance for the recovery of threatened and endangered species which in many cases emphasizes fire management practices. 

Links to Fire Ecology Information:

FEIS (fire effects)                 http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/
California Air Quality http://www.arb.ca.gov/drdb/sd/cur.htm
Nevada Air Quality               http://ndep.nv.gov/baqp/smoke1.html
Fire Regimes                       http://www.frcc.gov/  

Community Assistance and Partnerships

 Coleman National Fish Hatchery Fish Hatchery Complex gives a Rural Fire Assistance grant to Cottonwood Fire Protection District to help enhance firefighting capabilities.

USFWS Photo

The CNO Fire Program supports numerous national, state, and local community fire assistance initiatives which are focused at building community fire prevention, mitigation and suppression capabilities.  Funding through the National Fire Plan’s Wildland-Urban Interface/Community Assistance grant program is often available to support community-based projects.  Service fire staff, biologists, and other personnel are available to provide technical assistance where needed to build partnerships, protect communities and enhance fish and habitats.

Links to Community Assistance Program Information:

  • California Fire Alliance- a forum for coordinating and integrating pre-fire management activities between agencies and the public (http://www.cafirealliance.org/).

Employment in the Fire Program

Numerous employment opportunities exist within Fish & Wildlife Service's Branch of Fire Management. National, regional and refuge level positions, of a permanent, seasonal or temporary status are continually announced as necessary. Federal jobs are all listed online, through a searchable database at USAJOBS.

Web Sites for Fire Jobs

Conservation Applicant Referral Evaluation System (CARES)
DOI Temporary Fire Jobs
UASJOBS 0462, 0455 Series Current Job Listings

 

Last updated: September 18, 2008