Although the relative quiet of the 2004 fire season was seen as a blessing by many of us who have spent numerous hours and days on the fireline over the past few summers, there are some who may not be smiling.

At the urging of the federal and provincial/state agencies responsible for wildfire suppression, an increasing number of contractors have established businesses over the past few years to provide 20-person crews, engines, water tenders and other specialized firefighting equipment. Because of the inherently variable nature of fire seasons, there's no guarantee of a good season. That's why only government agencies used to be involved in the capital-intensive business of managing wildland fires, including conducting prescribed burns and fuels treatment. If those government agencies with fire protection responsibilities want the private sector to become major players in the fire suppression world, they need to develop a secure yearly funding process, similar to the daily availability rates that are guaranteed for air tankers and helicopters.

Until that happens, the contract crews, engines and others will be dependent on the weather, and we all know how reliable that is. While Southern California received significant rains in October that prevented a repeat of last year's Santa Ana fires, in Tasmania IAWF Board Member Tony Blanks reports that he's already been out working as an incident commander on a Type 2 bushfire, and another board member from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Keith Harrap, reports that they also are expecting an early and serious bushfire season in the months ahead.

To help prepare you for whatever lies ahead next year, there will be several important wildfire conferences and workshops in upcoming months. The first is Wildland Fire 2005, which addresses issues in the wildland-urban interface. The conference will be held Feb. 15 — 18 in Albuquerque, N.M., and again will have a full agenda of excellent speakers, as well as an extensive vendor area showing new products and technologies. Registration and more information can be found at www.iafc.org/conferences/wildland/index.asp.

The other major conference/workshop is the Safety Summit, April 25 — 28 in Missoula, Mont. It's the 10th anniversary of the Human Factors Workshop that the Missoula Technology & Development Center sponsored following the Storm King Mountain tragedy. The Human Factors Workshop now is recognized as a landmark event in the area of firefighter safety, and the 2005 Safety Summit will recognize its importance as well as the significant changes that have occurred over the past decade in the field of human factors on the fireline. The summit also will incorporate aviation safety as an important part of the agenda. For more information, check www.iawfonline.org.

Have a safe and happy holiday season from all of us at the IAWF, and we'll see you in 2005!

Contact the IAWF

International Assn. of Wildland Fire
4025 Fair Ridge Drive Fairfax, Va. 22033
ph: 785-423-1818
fax: 785-542-3511
iawf@iawfonline.org

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