FIRE AND AVIATION PROGRAM
The BLM, a leader in the nation’s management of wildland fire, carries out a broad range of actions to protect the public, natural landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, and other values and resources. The agency’s national Fire and Aviation Program, which focuses on public safety as its top priority, consists of fire suppression, preparedness, predictive services, vegetative fuels management, prescribed fire, community assistance and protection, and fire prevention through education. To meet its wildland fire-related challenges, the BLM fields highly trained professional firefighters and managers who are committed to managing fire in the most effective and efficient ways possible.
The BLM’s Fire and Aviation Program is headquartered at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, where it works with seven other federal agencies to manage wildland fire, primarily in the western United States. The program is organized at three levels: 1) the national office, which provides leadership and oversight while developing policy, procedures, and budgets; 2) state offices, which are responsible for coordinating policies and interagency activities within their state; and 3) field offices, which carry out on-the-ground fire management and aviation activities, often partnering with other agencies to maximize rapid initial attack.