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BLM Alaska Fire Service seeks wildland firefighting crew and suppression module contract proposals

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Deadline to submit proposals is Nov. 10

A group of about 20 wildland firefighters poses for the camera in front of a helicopter on a gravel river bed with forest in the background.
The Big River Crew, an BLM Alaska Type 2 contract crew with firefighters assembled from Marshall, Pilot Station, St. Mary’s, and Mountain Village, gather along the banks of the Salcha River on June 24, 2025. The crew was assigned to help on the Ninetyeight Fire southeast of Fairbanks. Photo by Bevin Protas, BLM AFS

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) is soliciting proposals for potential contracts to provide wildland fire hand crews. This includes Type 2 crews and fire suppression modules based in 37 communities throughout northern Alaska. These resources enable faster wildfire response and help meet the growing need for wildland fire crews and modules in Alaska and the Lower 48.

Multiple contracts will be awarded. The solicitation notice is posted at http://www.SAM.gov (reference number 140L0625R0001). Potential contractors have until Nov. 10, 2025 to submit proposals.

The solicitation is a competitive process open to qualified entities to ensure the program’s success. Interested contractors must be set up in the SAM.gov to receive all awards and be prepared to submit a proposal.

BLM AFS began developing its contract crew program in 2017 to meet the need for Type 2 wildland firefighting crews and in response to the changing complexity of managing emergency firefighter (EFF) crews. By the spring of 2020, BLM AFS had the only Type 2 contract crew program of its kind for the Department of the Interior nationally.

In 2025, BLM AFS certified nine Type 2 contract crews for availability. These crews were assigned to approximately 16 wildland fire incidents throughout Alaska between June 10 and Aug. 5. Most crews spent a minimum of 21 days on assignments.

Unlike EFF crews that are hired only on an as-needed basis, contracted crews and fire suppression modules allow for work outside of fire suppression, such as fuels mitigation and other funded projects. Due to its success, the contract crew program replaced the EFF crew program for BLM AFS. The State of Alaska’s Division of Forestry & Fire Protection operates its own EFF program, separate from AFS.

For more information regarding the contract solicitation, contact BLM Contracting Officer Yvette Daltorio at the National Operations Center at ydaltorio@blm.gov or (774) 278-3998.

For other inquiries, contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at eipsen@blm.gov.

Click on this link to read more about the BLM AFS Type 2 Contract Crew Program and the EFF program in Alaska. Find more photos of these Contract Crew firefighters in action on the BLM AFS Flickr site.

Map of northern and Interior Alaska with 37 communities identified.
Map of Alaska showing the locations of communities identified as potential assembly points for the Type 2 contract crews and suppression modules, as included in the solicitation. With the exception of Fairbanks and Shageluk, all are located within BLM AFS Protection Zones. Click on map for PDF version.

-BLM-

Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, Ak 99703

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Learn more at www.blm.gov/AlaskaFireService, and on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) located at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, provides wildland fire suppression services for over 240 million acres of Department of the Interior and Native Corporation Lands in Alaska. In addition, AFS has other statewide responsibilities that include: interpretation of fire management policy; oversight of the BLM Alaska Aviation program; fuels management projects; and operating and maintaining advanced communication and computer systems such as the Alaska Lightning Detection System. AFS also maintains a National Incident Support Cache. The Alaska Fire Service provides wildland fire suppression services for America’s “Last Frontier” on an interagency basis with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Military in Alaska.

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Categories: AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service

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