The U.S. Is Now At Its Worst Level of Wildfire Preparedness. What Does That Mean?

Federal officials have moved the national wildfire preparedness level to its highest level: a five out of five. That means that, as we approach peak fire season in the U.S., federal agencies might not have enough resources to address every new fire. 

A number of federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Weather Service, are responsible for allocating federal resources for tackling wildfires, like helicopters, airtankers, funding, or firefighters. The wildfire preparedness levels, which range from the lowest, 1, to the highest, 5, help the agencies track what resources are available. “It’s a framework for determining resource allocation,” says Craig Clements, director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University. “As the fire season progresses, those resources are used around the country by different agencies. When we get to level five, that means that resources are running low because there’s so many incidents ongoing.”