Idaho has one of the largest and most complex fire management programs in the BLM, protecting and managing wildfire on approximately 11 million acres of rangelands and forests in central and southern parts of the State. Volatile fuel conditions and difficult terrain make this especially challenging.
About 250 seasonal firefighters and 150 yearlong fire managers and specialists serve as Idaho's fire management team. Each year, the team responds to an average of 330 fires that burn about 270,000 of public and private lands.
Interagency Dispatch Centers
Fire management in Idaho is carried out through three regional interagency dispatch centers. Each dispatch center serves as the fire command center for a large region, conducting training, allocating personnel and equipments, managing aircraft operations, providing fire information, and supervising fire management strategies. Each dispatch center has a website that provides current fire information and other important data.
The Boise Interagency Dispatch Center, located in Boise, has fire management responsibility for about 10.8 million acres of public lands in southwestern Idaho.
The South-Central Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center, located in Shoshone, is the command center for about 2.7 million acres in south-central Idaho.
The Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center (EIIFC), located in Idaho Falls, is responsible for fire management on about 7.5 million acres of public lands
Fire Program Goals and Priorities
Fire management in BLM-Idaho has four major components:
• Wildland fire suppression
• Hazardous fuels treatment
• Fire rehabilitation
• Community assistance and protection
Overarching goals for these components are established in national policy. More specific objectives, priorities and strategies are developed by BLM district and field offices in land use plans and fire management plans (FMPs).
The BLM has two basic priorities in suppressing wildland fires:
• Protecting firefighter and public safety
• Protecting property and valuable resources
Each FMP refines and applies these priorities to its geographic region.
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