The challenge of managing wildland fire in the United States has dramatically increased in complexity and magnitude over the decades. Large wildfires now threaten millions of both public and private acres, particularly where vegetation patterns have been altered by development, land-use practices, and aggressive fire suppression. Potentially serious ecological deterioration is possible where fuel loads have become extremely high. In these areas, public and private values are at risk. To reduce the threat of these catastrophic fires, federal wildland fire policy was revised in 1995 and engages a proactive approach to managing fire.

Because wildland fire respects no boundaries, uniform policies and programs are essential, as well as strengthening cooperators' relationships. The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, together with tribal and state governments and other jurisdictions, are responsible for the protection and management of natural resources on public lands. And, as firefighting resources become increasingly scarce, it is more important than ever to strengthen cooperative relationships.

The Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review was chartered in 1994 by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to ensure that federal policies are uniform and programs are cooperative and cohesive. The review was conducted by the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The National Biological Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Weather Service, and FEMA also were involved. The resulting report presents fundamental principles of fire management and recommends a set of federal wildland fire policies. Though the different missions of the agencies sometimes result in differences in operations, a cohesive set of federal fire policies improves the effectiveness and efficiency of fire management - and our ability to meet modern challenges posed by seasonal wildland fire conditions.

Some of the key points in the policy include:

• Protection of human life is the first priority in wildland fire management. Once firefighters are committed to an incident, they are the number one priority. Property and resource values are the second priority, with management decisions based on values to be protected.
• Where wildland fire cannot be safely reintroduced because of hazardous fuel build-ups, some form of pretreatment must be considered, particularly in wildland/urban interface areas.
• The role of federal agencies in the wildland/urban interface includes wildland firefighting, hazard fuels reduction, cooperative prevention and education, and technical assistance. Primary responsibility rests at the state and local levels.
• The Western Governors' Association will serve as a catalyst to involve state and local agencies and private stakeholders in achieving a cooperative approach to fire prevention and protection in the wildland/urban interface.

Key points continued:

• Wildland fire, as a critical natural process, must be reintroduced into the ecosystem. Fire will be allowed to function as nearly as possible in its natural role to achieve the long-term goals of ecosystem health.
• Wildland fire management decisions and resource management decisions go hand in hand and are based on approved Fire Management and land and resource management plans. Fire managers also have the ability to choose from the full spectrum of fire management options, from prompt suppression to allowing fire to function in its natural ecological role.
• Structural fire protection in the wildland/urban interface is the responsibility of tribal, state, and local governments.
• Federal agencies must place more emphasis on educating internal and external audiences about how and why we use and manage wildland fire.

Our success depends upon four things: Every agency administrator must ensure that these policies are incorporated into all actions. Fire professionals must work with agency administrators to make the policies work on the ground. Managers and staffs must actively implement the recommendations and work with their constituents to ensure success. Every employee of every agency must also be committed to follow through on the ground.

Finally, agencies and the public must change their expectation that all wildfires can be controlled or suppressed. No organization, technology, or equipment can provide absolute protection when unusual fuel build-ups, extreme weather conditions, multiple ignitions, and extreme fire behavior periodically come together to form catastrophic events.

UPDATE: Following the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman directed the Interagency Federal Wildland Fire Policy Review Working Group to review the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review and its implications. The Working Group's Report, released in January, 2001.