More than 100 Florida Forest Service Firefighters and Support Personnel Now Deployed to Western Wildfires

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Forest Service (FFS) announced the deployment of an additional 20-person Type 2 initial attack hand crew to Montana to support ongoing wildfire suppression efforts. On July 14, the National Preparedness Level was elevated to five, which indicates the highest level of wildfire activity. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are currently more than 21,500 wildland firefighters and support personnel and 28 incident management teams assigned to at least 82 large wildfires that have burned nearly 1.7 million acres across 13 states.

“As the devastating wildfires continue to threaten our fellow Americans across the West, I am incredibly proud of our well-trained wildland firefighters and personnel who are choosing to leave their homes and families to help their fellow firefighters,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “We continue to pray for the safety of all those on the front lines in this fight.”

Since June 28, the Florida Forest Service has deployed 168 wildland firefighters and support personnel to assist with suppression efforts on western wildfires. The FFS currently has 104 resources deployed to Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, including the 20-person hand crew currently in Montana and the 20-person hand crew preparing to deploy.

“We’re going to continue to support our western counterparts throughout this fire season,” said Erin Albury, State Forester and Director of the Florida Forest Service. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with everyone working tirelessly to protect residents and their homes as well as our country’s natural resources.”

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation’s support center for wildland firefighting. When fire activity escalates, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) is activated. The National Preparedness Level is determined by the NMAC and depicts the complexity that fire managers are encountering to ensure adequate firefighting resources are available for the protection of life, property and our nation’s natural resources.

The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres.

###