WILDLAND FIRES

The Newscast and Newspapers give coverage on the wild fires that rage in the western part of our nation. The major news sites on the Internet also give information. However there are some other sites that give up-to-date information and they are listed below:

• National Interagency Fire Center - (NIFC) in Boise is where top wildland fire specialist develop their strategies and dispatch their fire fighting forces. From there you can find links to all the major fire sites.
• The Rodeo/Chediski Fire Complex - in Arizona.
• Fire Related Maps - including some created from space imagery.
• National Situation Report - A PDF formatted document published first thing every morning.

Other related links include:

• National Association of Smoke Jumpers - a site about men and women who parachute in to fight remote fires.
• Forest Service Hotshot Crew - an elite team of young people sent who are sent around the country to lead the assault on the wildland blazes. This page that explains what the country's 70 Hotshot crews do in the field.
• Forest Service Hotshot crew photo essay
• PBS Science Documentary Series Nova "Fire Wars" - a 2 hour episode that includes the wildfire simulator, a Shockwave program that allows you to see how wind speed, direction and fuel load impact the ability to control a wildland blaze using firelines and backfires.
• Smokey Bear - the only American hero with his own ZIP code (20252)