Professional Private Wildland Fire Service Resources Stand Shoulder-to-Shoulder with Local, State and Federal Agency Partners

MILL CITY, Ore., July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than a million acres are already burning in the West.

The largest is the Bootleg Fire in southeast Oregon with a perimeter larger than the footprint of New York City. Approximately 40 percent of the 2,000 personnel on that fire are Professional Private Wildland Fire Service Crews.

"Our members provide hand crews, heavy equipment and water handling, which saves the government from needing to purchase or hire, train and maintain resources," says National Wildfire Suppression Association Executive Director Debbie Miley. "We supplement local, state and federal agencies during fire season to ensure the safety of communities in the path of wildfire."

The 2021 Fire Year is proving to be challenging, as expected, and the forecast remains extreme. The scope of resources is required to suppress wildfires is vast. In fact, the US Forest Service expects demand for resources to outpace availability. Right now, more than 17,000 firefighters are on firelines nationwide.

"NWSA members are proud to have a significant role in the response to wildfires," says Lee Miller, NWSA board president. "We've been providing these services for more than 35 years with a workforce that's well-trained and ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with our agency partners on the fireline helping them accomplish their mission.."

Despite the challenges of new contracts this year and labor shortages that many industries face, NWSA member companies have thousands of qualified, trained firefighters and pieces of equipment ready to work alongside our agency partners.

Media Contact

Deborah Miley, National Wildfire Suppression Association, +1 877-676-6972, [email protected]

Kelli Matthews, 5415795888, [email protected]

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SOURCE National Wildfire Suppression Association