Understanding Fire Danger

It's that time of year again in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Campers are out in the timber, farmers are going to start burning grass and stubble, and fire departments are getting the calls. It's fire season.

The US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, has prepared several webpages to educate newcomers and longtime residents about fire and fire danger. Understanding Fire Danger explains the various factors that influence fire danger and help establish the threat levels.

Current conditions in any particular locale are available on from the US Forest Service's Wildland Fire Assessment System website.

Many people might be surprised to learn that the nation's support for wildland firefighting is based in Boise, ID, at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The NIFC website has fascinating information including a "clickable tour of NIFC."

Go to the websites and learn more about fire danger. Then when you're watching the fires on the nightly news, you'll have a better understanding of what the firefighters are doing and the challenges they face fighting the wildfires throughout the nation.