IDAHO, USA — After "significant" fire activity over the weekend, Idaho's wildfire season is starting and wildland firefighters are ready to keep the Gem State's lands and people safe.
July 2 marks National Wildland Firefighter Day. Ahead of it, agencies from across the country gathered at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise to honor and remember wildland firefighters.
National Wildland Firefighter Day is a time to recognize all wildland firefighters and acknowledge their sacrifices. It falls on the Week of Remembrance, which honors and remembers those who have fallen in the line of duty.
"Our wildland firefighters are the epitome of public service," Meagan Conry, deputy assistant director of the Bureau of Land Management's Fire Program said. "Dedicated men and women who meet the call of responding to wildland fire."
A call to help protect communities, livelihoods, and landscapes - answered by wildland firefighters across many different agencies who gathered at NIFC - the nation's support center for wildfires.
"It is an interagency effort, and we can't do it without our partners," Jerry Perez, the national director of fire & aviation management for the U.S. Forest Service said. "We all have to work together to make this successful."
Some of the groups that work together to fight wildfires include the BLM, Forest Services, and Department of Lands.
Even military personnel can be deployed to fight fires, like Lt. Lane Harwell - an executive officer with the 23rd Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, who was deployed to fight the Dixie Fire in California.
"We spent about 30 days there actually putting in firebreaks. We put out a couple of spot fires, and then did some land rehabs for some Native American land near Quincy," Lt. Harwell said. "How they operated out in the field on their patrols is very similar how we operate, so it was very easy to mesh with them."
National Wildland Firefighter Day is designed to recognize and acknowledge the difficult work that wildland firefighters do in hazardous conditions.
"Wildland firefighting is inherently dangerous, and there have been too many losses," Conry said. "It's our time to focus on remembering those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, as well as continuing that learning culture of trying to do everything that we can to be as safe and effective as possible in meeting the wildland fire mission."
A mission that's been growing longer with each passing year.
"We talked about the fire season. Nowadays, it's the fire year," Perez said. "So, our firefighters are out almost year-round, working extremely long hours in very difficult situations. So, to take this time to recognize them is really key."
With temperatures heating up, and the Fourth of July weekend approaching, fire managers are stressing the importance of fire safety.
"Be careful, be wise, be safe," Boise Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said during Tuesday's press conference at NIFC. "Attend local fireworks shows, as opposed to your own fireworks show in the foothills or other areas that are fire prone."
Perez says about 90% of all wildland fires are caused by humans.
"The other thing is thinking about where you're at and the activities you're doing," Perez said. "It is as simple as thinking about when you're having a barbecue - not throwing your coals on the ground but getting rid of them in a safe manner."
This is the second year that National Wildland Firefighter Day is being recognized.
Governor Brad Little also proclaimed July 2 as Idaho Wildland Firefighter Day.
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