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Who puts out the wildfire and what laws are they governed by? Who’s in charge and why? Fire suppression is on everyone’s mind in the summer and we all have questions about how it works.

Wildland fires are different than structural fires. They mainly travel through natural fuels instead starting within a houses or barn. According to Montana law, it’s the responsibility of the State of Montana to suppress wildfires on all private and state lands; this duty is assigned to the MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. On federal lands, federal law requires appropriate suppression of fire on National Forest land and other federal lands, although this isn’t the end of the story; because resources are limited and the urgency is high, there’s a lot of cooperation between local, state, tribal, and federal firefighters on most wildfires.

Montana has an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service and five other federal agencies to cooperate in fire suppression, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs covering the Flathead Indian Reservation. In Sanders County, “Fire Protection” areas are assigned to DNRC, USFS, County, and BIA, depending on what is most efficient. Montana also has agreements with local firefighting resources to share assistance as needed during wildfires, these include our local Volunteer Fire Departments. Usually county and rural resources work only within the non-forested zone surrounding municipalities. The portion of Sanders County covered by MT DNRC Fire Protection extends north from the Plains area through much of the Thompson River Drainage. The Eddy Flats area on Highway 200 and westward to Idaho is covered by USFS fire protection. While each entity maintains responsibility for their Fire Protection area, it’s important to remember that early response supersedes boundary lines until the threat is well assessed!

New fires are reported by phone via 911, calls to fire dispatch centers, agency fire patrols, mountaintop fire lookouts, aerial fire patrols, and even commercial airliners! When someone reports smoke, or if a fire is called in, word is quickly passed to fire dispatch centers in Missoula (USFS), Kalispell (MT DNRC), or even Libby (USFS and DNRC). Dispatch centers then contact the nearest available resources to address the fire. This is referred to as “initial attack,” and 97% of Montana’s wildfires are extinguished at this stage. Depending on the location and severity, different resources can be dispatched. Sometimes only one fire engine may respond, or a few firefighters hike into a remote fire; other times, additional resources, such as helicopters, are also dispatched. A fire on a dry and windy afternoon, located near homes and infrastructure, typically will require more resources than a burning tree in the backcountry.

As the initial firefighters arrive, the Incident Commander may request additional support and dispatch will work to fill the order. Because of the aforementioned agreement, agencies share resources based on availability and proximity to the incident. As firefighters are digging fire line and spraying water, fire leaders determine who will serve as the “incident commander” or “IC.” If more resources are needed, the IC works with dispatch, and they are sent regardless of which agency normally controls them. In this way, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Forest Service, Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes, and Rural Fire Departments work seamlessly to suppress fires each season. Please thank our generous men and women who do this dangerous job each summer.

David Wrobleski is District Ranger for the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District. For more information, email [email protected] or call (406) 826-3821.