Recruiting a Fire Crew

For larger fires, firefighters may come from federal agencies, native tribes, state forestry agencies, and low-security detention facilities.  Other labor sources include local volunteer, municipal or private fire departments or contractors. Seasonal employees with non-fire job responsibilities may be recruited and organized into Type II crews. The military, especially the Army or National Guard, may be mobilized on the more complex incidents. Although the strategies for fighting a fire may be similar as an incident grows in size and complexity, the tactics may differ considerably, relying on heavy equipment and interregional Hotshot crews for fireline construction on intense sectors of large fires, for example.

Particularly challenging fires may dictate the need for skilled and experienced Hotshot crews who build firelines under the most arduous conditions. In remote, mountainous terrain, smokejumpers may parachute down to a fire site or a Helitack crew may rappel down to a position close to the fire. If a road network is nearby, fire engines and hand crews may become part of the team. As a fire grows in size or if other ignitions occur, additional regional or national resources may be mobilized, including an administrative or supervisory team known as fire overhead. If the fire exceeds the capabilities of the local agency with jurisdiction over the fire, that agency can request additional resources through a regional Geographical Area Coordination Center (GACC) or from the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) in Boise, Idaho. As a fire grows in size and complexity, an increasingly sophisticated organization structure will be built. A Type II overhead team may be dispatched to assist local jurisdictions with the initial attack. Eventually a Type I team may be dispatched if fire complexity overwhelms the Type II team.