Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center Information

Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center:

The Fire Center has initial attack responsibilities for all of Southeast Idaho from Montana to Utah and Wyoming to Craters of the Moon. This includes over 9 million acres of BLM, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, Idaho National Laboratory, State and Reservation lands. EIIFC averages about 150 fires a year with an average of about 54,000 acres burned a year. This is of course the average. Busy years such as 2000 and 2006 you could see anywhere from 310,000 acres burned and up to 260 fires.

Seasonal firefighters will start around the first week in June and work until about mid October. Returning firefighters often come on earlier and there is sometimes work late into the winter. We believe you only become a better firefighter if you travel so plan on doing some traveling. We work in every state wherever and whenever help is needed. During good years you can plan on going off district a couple of times a year.

Idaho Falls District Bureau of Land Management:

The Idaho Falls District Fire Program protects Challis, Salmon, Idaho Falls and Pocatello Field Offices. The total BLM acreage within this district is 3,702,169 acres. The District covers: from the Utah/Idaho boarder heading north to Montana; Salmon to Challis to the west; Sun Valley area to the north; and Wyoming border on the east. The west end of the district is just past American Falls (see map). The district has 120 firefighters staffing 21 engines, 2 water tenders, 2 dozers, and 1 Interagency Hot Shot crew. Also included on the district is the Pocatello Air-tanker Base with an air attack platform. During the fire season, air-tankers and other support positions are located at the tanker base as needed. The fire program has experienced overhead including a Type 1 Operations Chief, Type 1 Safety Officer, and several Divisions Supervisors and Type 3 Incident Commanders. We operate 5-person Type 4 Engines (heavies), and 3-person Type 6 Engines (lights). Our engine crews are also used to fill in on the Snake River Hotshot Crew, located in Pocatello. For more information on what you would actually do as a firefighter on one of our BLM engines click the following link "What to Expect." (PDF, free download information below)

Idaho Falls District BLM Engine Crews

The program also has a busy and proactive fuels program with Prescribed Fire Burn Bosses, Ignition Specialists, Fuels Specialists and Fuels Technicians. The fuels program keeps firefighters busy with thinning and prescribed fire activities.

Also included within the program is one of the best Prevention/Education Mitigation programs in the state. They are responsible for working with local fire departments, investigating human started fires, and educating the public on fire prevention and fire safety.

For more information about the Idaho Falls District BLM visit www.blm.gov/id/st/en.html.

Caribou-Targhee National Forest Service:

The Forest Service has 76 firefighters, 14 engines throughout Eastern Idaho and one 20-person handcrew named "Centennials" in Island Park in their program. Their are also 2 helicopters for the Fire Centers use, one located in Pocatello and the other located in Swan Valley. The Caribou-Targhee National Forest makes up over 3 million acres. Of that acreage, 1.2 million acres is dedicated to Wildland Fire Use. For more information about the Caribou-Targhee National Forest visit www.fs.fed.us/r4/caribou-targhee/.

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