Municipal fire departments across North America are being drawn deeper into wildfire response as fires increasingly threaten populated areas and strain wildland resources.
With more than 43,000 wildfires burning over 4.5 million acres in the United States this year, the National Interagency Fire Center has raised the national preparedness level to 5, its highest stage of response. In Canada, federal wildfire data shows more than 4,300 fires and over 3.7 million hectares burned so far this year.
The pressure on firefighting resources is increasing the role of municipal fire fighters in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, where development meets undeveloped vegetation.
IAFF Wildfire/Urban-Interface Fire Programs Director Joseph Ten Eyck said dry conditions across the United States and Canada mean the number of wildfire incidents is likely to rise.
“You need fire fighters to fight fires. And municipal fire fighters are an excellent resource. But most municipal departments don’t provide the needed training,” Ten Eyck said.
A recent National Fire Protection Association survey found that 87% of departments report that fighting fires in the interface is part of their duties, while two-thirds have no formal interface training.
The IAFF’s Responding to the Interface (RTI) program is designed to prepare structure fire fighters to safely and effectively use available personnel, apparatus, and equipment during WUI incidents.
Blake Miller, a Scottsdale, Arizona Local 5050 member and RTI instructor, said fire fighters must be ready for wildfire assignments because they respond to all hazards.
“We do not get to decide what calls we go on. That includes wildfires, so we must be prepared,” Miller said. “We are seeing an uptick in requests for the Responding to the Urban Interface training provided by the IAFF.”
The IAFF is preparing to conduct its final round of RTI training in Maui this October, with 100 Hawaii fire fighters expected to complete the course.
Timothy Herrick, a Hawaiian Island Local 1463 member and RTI trainer, said the island’s responders must be self-sufficient during major incidents.
“What we have on the island is all we will get for days, so we have to be ready,” Herrick said. The training follows the wind-driven 2023 Maui wildfires, which killed more than 100 people and devastated large areas of the island.
In Canada, the federal government launched a pilot with the IAFF in 2023 to fund RTI training. IAFF data states that 350 Canadian fire fighters completed training in late 2023 and early 2024, with the program later expanded to reach additional departments.
RTI instructor and Colorado Springs, CO Local 5 member Justin White said the training helps fire fighters understand how weather affects an incident, adapt structural firefighting resources for use in the interface, and operate effectively when mutual aid may be days away. Because RTI in Hawaii is using a train-the-trainer model, participants can also bring the curriculum back to their departments and prepare additional members.
IAFF 6th District Vice President Mike Carter said trained municipal fire fighters are essential as wildfire risk grows across Canada.
“Dealing with interface wildfires is dangerous and unpredictable due to the topography, vegetation fuel sources, variable hazards, winds, and dry heat,” Carter said. “The RTI program enhances public and responder safety in the interface.”
Although western and northern regions continue to experience many of the largest fires, wildfire risk is no longer limited to areas historically associated with major fire seasons. Drought, dry vegetation, heat waves, and continued development in WUI areas are increasing risks to communities across North America.
Fredericton, New Brunswick Local 1053 member and RTI instructor Glenn Sullivan said he sought out the training after being dispatched to interface incidents before he felt fully prepared.
“I sought out this training so that, as an incident commander, I fully understood what I was asking everyone under my command to do,” Sullivan said.
Ten Eyck said the long-term response must include legislation and policy that increase resources and get trained personnel to fires faster.
“The path forward is to continue to fight for legislation and policy that will increase resources and put mechanisms in place to get those resources on the fire as quickly as possible,” Ten Eyck said. “Trained municipal fire fighters will be key.”
