Successful Initial Attack: A Dispatcher's Perspective
U.S. Forest Service - Umpqua National Forest Our dispatchers are unsung heroes. They do an amazing job supporting our firefighters on the ground, whether it's mobilizing aerial and ground resources, helping them locate a fire, providing logistical support, or tracking and prioritizing all fire starts and other non-fire incidents in a very busy and demanding environment. They provide additional support through the mobilization of Incident Management Teams when initial attack (IA) fires grow into larger fires. Less than 2% of all wildfires grow to become large and approximately 98% are extinguished during IA. During the last lightning event, the U.S. Forest Service - Umpqua National Forest successfully suppressed 29 wildland fire starts in six days, with only one fire growing beyond the initial attack phase (Windigo). That's impressive! Our dispatchers are highly committed to their jobs, often working long hours away from their families during fire season to give the firefight