Communication and evolution key between city and state wildfire fighting efforts
NAMPA, Idaho — Idaho Department of Lands and local fire departments have communications in place for when additional wildfire assistance is needed. Fire departments are reimbursed for helping the state fight wildfires, and also helping maintain certifications for wildfires.
(
Wildfire season is nearly over for the year. Idaho Department of Lands reports that nearly 350 fires have occurred in 2024 - over 65,000 acres protected by IDL. A lot to have resources for without some extra help. Local fire departments can get dispatched for help through the National Interagency Fire Center.
"Say there's a fire in Payette County," Nampa Fire Protection District Chief Kirk Carpenter tosses out, "Payette County Sheriff can call dispatch and say, 'Hey, we have a fire, I need some resources.'"
When dispatch reaches out, it's a linear process that evolved from asking one well-known department at a time to prioritizing communication.
"Now the communication style is more of a horizontal of who's available and it collects at one point and then reports back, and then everybody can just say, this is what we got," Carpenter explains.
Resources not just being rigs and equipment, but also people. There are many certifications for firefighters, wildland being one of them. Dispatching to fires helps maintain certifications for personnel.
"Is there an option to send just no equipment and just the tool being the person," I ask.
"Great question. It is now," Carpenter says, "I think in the past, just historically in Nampa, when we talk, if you go further back, there's always been this divide between wildland firefighters and structural firefighters."
Sending equipment is an expensive task, and departments are reimbursed for the time and resources. Idaho Fire Chiefs have a response plan that includes 24 hours of free help to their neighbors in Idaho. Neighbor helping neighbor, preventing fires from getting out of more control than they already would, and preserving local rural economies.
"If you think about Stanley in general, if that fire would have had more impact than it did, Labor Day weekend in Stanley is the largest revenue creator for that community," says Carpenter.
