Because the BLM Alaska Fire Service remains focused on the safety and well-being of our employees and the public, preparedness regarding medical, physical and training requirements for Alaska federal (BLM) Emergency Firefighters (EFF) were adjusted for the 2020 fire year due to the threat of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) . The adjustments were made to […]
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Federal Alaska Emergency Firefighter requirements adjusted for 2020 season
March 26, 2020 
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BLM AFS, USARAK burn woody debris piles from fuel break on military lands near Delta Junction
February 6, 2020 Comments Off on BLM AFS, USARAK burn woody debris piles from fuel break on military lands near Delta Junction
Update on Feb. 21, 2020: BLM Alaska Fire Service personnel completed burning woody debris piles in the Donnelly Training Area West (DTAW) between Feb. 9-12. They were able to burn the remaining 54 large, machine-built piles on the far west section of the 21-mile fuel break created during a multi-year hazardous fuels reduction project on […]
Continue reading BLM AFS seeks contracts for Alaska village-based Type 2 wildland firefighting crews
December 26, 2019 Comments Off on BLM AFS seeks contracts for Alaska village-based Type 2 wildland firefighting crews
The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) is soliciting contracts for Type 2 wildland firefighting hand crews based in rural Alaska villages for the 2020 fire season. Multiple contractors may be selected to base crews in communities in the Upper Yukon, Tanana and Galena Fire Management Zones for quick response to fires […]
Continue reading BLM AFS 2019 Emergency Firefighter review
December 17, 2019 Comments Off on BLM AFS 2019 Emergency Firefighter review
The BLM Alaska Fire Service uses Type 2 Emergency Firefighters (EFF)/Administratively Determined (AD) fire crews and single resource personnel to supplement its regular workforce in the event of wildfire emergencies. The program, which is separate from the State of Alaska’s EFF program, consists of over 500 individual federal AD firefighting personnel across three fire management […]
Continue reading From the Last Frontier to the Land Down Under
December 5, 2019 Comments Off on From the Last Frontier to the Land Down Under
Alaskan tapped as liaison during firefighting efforts in Australia After two days of travel from the northern hemisphere to the land down under, BLM Alaska Fire Service Associate Manager Kyle Cowan arrived in Sydney where he’ll be the be a liaison for Americans mobilizing to help with an unprecedented and deadly early fire season in […]
Continue reading Fire season may end, but work continues for BLM AFS Cache
September 25, 2019 Comments Off on Fire season may end, but work continues for BLM AFS Cache
Warehouse preparing equipment for use on future fires This summer, more than 606 miles of hose was used on fires throughout Alaska. That’s more than the distance between Fairbanks and Homer (580 miles). All that hose needs to be cleaned, inspected for leaks and rolled back up before it can be used again on fires […]
Continue reading Alaska Fire Medic program: Taking care of firefighters in the field
September 22, 2019 Comments Off on Alaska Fire Medic program: Taking care of firefighters in the field
Wildland firefighters face all kinds of hazards during fire season. When firefighters fall ill or get injured, getting them needed medical care is not a matter of simply calling 911. The nearest hospital is often a 300-mile flight away, pushing medical care to another level of urgency in Alaska. Something as simple as a blister […]
Continue reading Life in a remote Alaska fire camp
September 21, 2019 Comments Off on Life in a remote Alaska fire camp
While fire camps in rural Alaska can be similar to remote fires in the Lower 48, they have their own special concerns and qualities. Morning operational briefings are broadcasted over hand-held radios. Every one gathers underneath at big yellow tarp for breakfast in the morning and dinner before bedtime. The coffee pot hangs from a […]
Continue reading BLM AFS, USARAK to burn debris piles on Interior Alaska training lands
September 20, 2019 Comments Off on BLM AFS, USARAK to burn debris piles on Interior Alaska training lands
The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK), will burn piles of woody debris on military training lands in Interior Alaska starting as early as this Saturday. Burning operations for piles on the Fort Wainwright Area Main Post (FWAMP), the Tanana Flats Training Area (TFTA) […]
Continue reading Smokejumpers, Chena Hotshots working on late season fire near the Yukon River Crossing
September 16, 2019 Comments Off on Smokejumpers, Chena Hotshots working on late season fire near the Yukon River Crossing
The Chena Hotshots are mopping up a 7-acre fire that started Friday near the Yukon River crossing on the Dalton Highway about 80 miles north of Fairbanks. Smokejumpers responded to Fire #811, the Smoothface Mountain Fire, after it was reported Friday afternoon from someone at the Yukon River Camp near the river crossing at milepost […]
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