Iowa firefighters join battle against extreme wildfires across Western states

Wildfires may be something most Americans associate with California. But when it comes to fighting those fires, the impact hits closer to home than many Iowans realize.

For almost 20 years, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been dispatching firefighters from around the state to help federal agencies, like the U.S. Forest Service, fight raging wildfires posing grave threats to large swaths of the Rocky Mountain region and Western states.

Ryan Harr was named supervisor of the department’s Fire Program in June. He has served with the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau since 2012, has over 25 years of experience in wildland fires and has carried federal wildfire qualifications for over 17 years.

Q: What all does this program do?

A: The DNR’s Fire Program primary mission is to support the agency and agency partners in conducting prescribed fires across the state, as well as hosting training for DNR staff and other agency staff.

The office provides a mechanism for volunteer fire departments to acquire surplus federal fire equipment, and provides grants to VFDs to purchase wildland fire equipment. Finally, the office supports DNR’s federal partners such as the U.S. Forest Service in making firefighters available to assist with firefighting efforts across the nation.

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Q: How does the program work, logistically? Who is being dispatched to fight fires?

A: The DNR, as a state agency, has the authority to issue what is called a Red Card to firefighters who have been specifically trained in wildfire suppression, support or other fire management roles. The Red Card is the nationally recognized document of a person’s specific certifications and trainee roles which they can fulfill on a fire.

In addition to folks who are firefighters out working to suppress the fires, there are numerous support and logistics types of positions as well — everything from medical to finance to logistics and Geographic Information System personnel.

The DNR maintains Red Cards for about 40 to 50 firefighters and support people annually. About 10 or so of those folks are DNR employees, but there are lots of others as well: county and municipal employees with a fire background, employees from non-government organizations and volunteer firefighters from around the state.

Who orders firefighters? It depends on where the fire starts, or where the high fire danger exists.

If it is private land or state land, typically a state will order the resources. If it is some sort of federal land (National Forest, National Park, BLM District,) then it's usually the federal government ordering and paying the bills.

Q: What kind of training, physical requirements and preparation is required to ready a wildland firefighter?

A: To be eligible for national certification for wildland fire, a person must pass a 40-hour series of basic courses in firefighter safety, wildland fire behavior and a (Federal Emergency Management Agency) disaster response. This course is capped with field exercises in all sorts of activities — basic land navigation, working in teams, pumps, hoses and tools common to wildfire. Once through these basics, many firefighters choose to take additional 24 hours training in chain saws, or 24 hours in more advanced weather and fire behavior.

Once the coursework is completed, a person desiring to be nationally certified must complete what’s called the “Work Capacity Test,” or pack test. This consists of being able to carry a 45-pound pack on a 3-mile hike in under 45 minutes. Firefighters must pass the pack test each year, as well as do at least six hours of annual refresher training.

Beyond these basic courses, there are an additional 90-plus courses for specialty roles in the wildland fire world.

(Structural fire and wildfire fighting roles) have a number of similarities, but also are remarkably different. … Both are stressful, physically demanding jobs.

Wildland firefighters typically are on assignment for 14 days, plus three to five days’ travel. (They are) often working 14 to 16 hour shifts and living in camps, with miles of hiking rough and mountainous terrain daily, digging lines or manning fire engines.

Q: How many folks from Iowa have been involved in fighting fires out of state, and how long have the efforts been ongoing?

A: We have deployed nearly 30 Iowans already this season, and expect to send more out through August and September. We started sending people around the end of June, when the national fire situation saw a significant uptick in activity. We have staffed folks on hand crews, fire engines and in support roles across the West.

It has been a busy season, and looks to continue to remain that way for a while yet. While the nation does a good job with fire management, there are still lots of fires that are understaffed, and firefighters do start to get fatigued as the season wears on.

Most Iowans go for a single deployment, but some go out several times.

Q: Climate change has generally caused wildfires to become more frequent and severe. Has the Iowa DNR been dispatching folks to help federal partners more frequently over the years?

A: Climate change is certainly fueling more fire activity, but there are also many other contributing factors such as land management policy, increasing development in wild areas, and so forth.

Interestingly, there is an ebb and flow to seasons based on weather patterns and climate; there are busy years and others that are less so. And the DNR responds accordingly — some years there is a need for lots of folks and specialties to help with fire efforts. (In) other years that need doesn’t really demand firefighters from places like Iowa.

Certainly, 2015 through 2020 were busy seasons, but 2022 and 2023 saw less activity. Now, in 2024, we are seeing a very, very busy season and a lot of need.

Q: Apart from being good neighbors, does Iowa receive any benefits from participating?

A: It is certainly important for the state to assist our federal partners as part of the reciprocal relationship between government entities. In times of nationally need, I do think it’s important for Iowa to lend a hand to other states.

I personally place a lot of emphasis on firefighters from many entities — state, county, local, volunteer fire departments and NGOs — gaining skills and experience on national assignments that they might not get in Iowa, and bringing those lessons home to Iowa. I think that strengthens our organizations and communities in our own state.

Q: Who pays for these out-of-state deployments?

A: All costs associated with dispatching firefighters and equipment are borne by the agency or state that orders them up. The state of Iowa does not pay for any of it.

That could be any one of the federal agencies — U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service. Or, if a state-specific order, then that requesting state bears all the cost. For example … I was ordered up by the state of Texas (in 2022,) so Texas paid all the bills.

Now, say the Bureau of Land Management orders a crew, but a fire starts on private or state land. The engine or crew that the BLM ordered will still respond, but then the BLM will turn around and bill the state for the cost of that day.

Q: Wildfires may be something “out of sight, out of mind” for many Iowans. Do you think Iowans are generally aware of their state’s involvement with fighting wildfires?

A: Great question! Certainly, people notice impacts that wildfire smoke has on air quality, and hazy summer days. But certainly our program — and that of our federal partners — flies under the radar for most Iowans. I don’t think most Iowans know that, over the years, Iowa has dispatched hundreds of folks to assist with firefighting around the nation.

It is certainly a rewarding endeavor, for both the state and for the individuals who go out and help communities across the country.

Q: How does this year compare to past wildfire seasons, and what does the forecast for the rest of the year look like?

A: The nation uses a “preparedness level” system with a five-step scale: 1 being minimal fire activity and minimal firefighters deployed, 5 being extreme wildfire activity and all available firefighters deployed.

2024 has been and continues to be a very busy year — we have been at (level 5) for over a month. All indications point to a national busy season extending into at least October.

Q: Have there been any interesting wildfire trends or increases in Iowa lately?

A: Whereas the Western part of the nation saw generally cooler and wetter seasons in 2022 and 2023, Iowa was in a long-term drought. As a result of that, Iowa saw very busy wildfire seasons in those years — though many folks might not realize it.

Volunteer fire departments across the state had some very busy weeks during those two years, especially in the fall of 2022 (harvest season) and April of 2023. The Iowa DNR had over 40 wildfires on public lands in spring of 2023.

Iowa even had a couple particularly large and damaging wildfires of over 3,000 acres — which, by Iowa standards, is quite an event.

Like the rest of the nation, we see an ebb and flow across years and seasons. Coming out of winter, we certainly were worried about another busy spring this year — until Mother Nature shifted patterns and we saw super wet and rainy conditions from April through June.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.