BLM Arizona transfers fire engine to rural wildland firefighting partners

BLM Arizona recently transferred a wildland fire engine to the township of Fredonia, Arizona to enhance their wildland firefighting capabilities. The equipment was transferred under BLM’s Rural Fire Readiness (RFR) program, which is designed to provide equipment to local wildland firefighting partners at no cost.

The engine will be stationed in Fredonia, Arizona and will be available for trained firefighters to use for wildland fire response across the Fredonia Fire Department’s 410,000-acre district, which spans 64 square miles.

Cooperative partnerships between the BLM and local and rural fire departments are crucial to remote wildfire response on private, state, and federal lands affecting grazing, recreational, wildlife, and other values important to local economies. Through the Rural Fire Readiness program, firefighting equipment is transferred in a fire-ready state with items such as hoses, fittings, tools, and radios.

For remote communities like the town of Fredonia, Arizona, which is surrounded by thousands of miles of undeveloped, desert landscapes and located roughly 100 miles from the nearest urban infrastructure and resources, the benefits of partnering with the BLM are numerous.

“We work with BLM on a lot of the brush fires,” said Fredonia Fire Chief and Mayor Don Johnson. “Our department is completely volunteer. Sometimes we might have two people that can respond, sometimes we might have six. But it's nice to know more resources are on their way. The BLM fire crews are always gracious and good to work with, and we enjoy working with them. We appreciate everybody that shows up and helps. It's just awesome."

 The fire engine transferred by the BLM to Fredonia’s volunteer fire department will serve many purposes, including wildland and brush fires and, when called upon, for emergency response.

Chief Johnson expressed appreciation for the engine. “You’ll never know how grateful we are,” he said. “It makes it really nice for us to have a vehicle to work with, and that’s funding our city didn’t have for an engine that was sorely needed."

The program provides benefits both to cooperators and the agency. “On their own, local fire districts are limited in their wildfire response capabilities to provide adequate equipment or personnel to meet the need, especially on larger, fast-spreading wildland fires. Community fire departments and firefighters really help to make us whole,” said BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Management Officer Ty Mizer. “Combining resources of federal, state, and local municipal firefighters and fire departments brings successful results for everyone. We aide them and they aide us."

“Local volunteer fire departments are the closest resource so they’re often the first to respond and are dedicated to protecting their own communities and surrounding public lands,” said BLM Arizona Strip District Manager Wayne Monger. “That’s why the Rural Fire Readiness program is mutually beneficial to both rural communities and agencies in fighting fires in remote areas like those surrounding the Arizona Strip District."

The BLM will accept requests from local fire departments for available vehicles, equipment, and supplies. As equipment is available, the BLM will transfer excess items to local fire departments and RFPAs during the fall and winter months, prior to the next fire season.

To receive wildland firefighting vehicles, equipment, and supplies through the Rural Fire Readiness program, local fire departments must meet a number of requirements including:

-Have an existing cooperative fire response agreement with the BLM.
-Serve a rural community or area that is in the vicinity of, or within, the wildland urban interface.
-Have wildland fire protection responsibilities.
-Be in close proximity to BLM-administered lands and respond to wildland fires in support of BLM when available and as needed.