Wildfire Matters

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Aug 2025

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About the show

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a leader in the nation’s wildland fire management. BLM Fire carries out a broad range of actions to protect the public, natural landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, and other values and resources. The national BLM Fire program focuses on public safety as its top priority, and consists of fire suppression, preparedness, predictive services, vegetative fuels management, prescribed fire, community assistance and protection, and fire prevention through education. To meet its wildland fire-related challenges, the BLM employs highly trained professional firefighters and managers who are committed to managing wildfire on our public lands. The BLM Fire program is headquartered at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, where it works with seven other federal agencies to manage wildland fire, primarily in the western United States. Wildfire Matters takes you behind the scenes to talk with the people who strive to manage the landscape, protect our precious natural resources, and keep our communities safe as we continue to learn how to live with wildfire. #WeAreBLMFire To learn more about NIFC or the BLM, please visit our website: www.nifc.gov. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for topics please email them to: BLM_FA_NIFC_Comments@blm.gov and use ‘Wildfire Matters Podcast’ in the subject line. Follow BLM Fire on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Follow NIFC Fire on Facebook and Twitter: BLM IN: blmfire BLM FB: https://www.facebook.com/BLMFire BLM TW: @BLMFire NIFC FB: https://www.facebook.com/NIFCFire NIFC TW: @NIFC_Fire

Listen to episodes

25 recent

August 7, 202556 min

Turning Data into Decisions — Behind the Scenes of Fire Intel

From thermal infrared flights at 10,000 feet to the daily intel reports guiding national strategy, this episode takes you inside the engine room of wildfire intelligence. We sit down with Scott Mayer with the Bureau of Land Management and Rachael Hansen with USDA Forest Service both based at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise to explore how data becomes decisions. They share how real-time intel, coordination, and infrared technology shape the way we respond to wildfires across the country. Whether you're a firefighter, land manager, or just fire-curious, this episode pulls back the curtain on the people and systems we all rely on during fire season.

June 25, 202541 min

Two Roles, One Goal: Suppression with Stewardship

What does it take to build fireline with 60,000 pound machines and protect sensitive ecosystems while doing it? In this episode of Wildfire Matters, host Caleb Ashby sits down with Dustin Hall, a seasoned dozer operator, and Erik Kriwox, a veteran Resource Advisor (READ), to explore how wildfire line construction with heavy equipment works on the ground. From navigating lava fields and avoiding buried pipelines to negotiating riparian zones and habitat concerns, this conversation digs into the risks, responsibilities, and real-time decisions that happen on the fireline. Dustin and Erik also reflect on post-fire rehabilitation, what it's like to return to a fire scar months later. Whether you're in fire management or just curious about how heavy equipment plays a role in wildfire response, this episode delivers insights, practical knowledge, and a deeper appreciation for the balance between suppression and stewardship.

May 6, 20251 hr 13 min

Land management is fire management: an overview of the BLM Fuels Management program with TJ Clifford, Diane Mastin Dixon, Casey Cheesbrough, and Lance Okeson

You can’t talk about wildland fire without talking about land. In this episode, we sit down with TJ Clifford, Diane Mastin Dixon, Casey Cheesbrough, and Lance Okeson to break down how fuels management works—and why it’s a cornerstone of BLM’s approach to reducing wildfire severity. From planning and partnerships to boots-on-the-ground treatments, this conversation highlights how managing vegetation today can change the trajectory of tomorrow’s fires.

April 9, 202552 min

Fighting wildfire in Alaska: a chat with Chena Hotshots Galen Milchman and Emily Evans

When you work for the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service, things are done a little differently than in the lower 48. Chena hotshots Galen Milchman and Emily Evans join us to discuss what it's like to be a hotshot in the Last Frontier. They share details about life on Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, AK, fighting fire on the tundra, and the camaraderie built while camping, working, and eating MREs with your crew in remote and rugged terrain.

March 5, 202548 min

What it’s like to be a BLM Pilot: winging it with Bob McCormick and Lisa Allen

Fire jobs are some of the most unique out there; piloting aircraft for the Bureau of Land Management goes above and beyond. Bob McCormick, Smokejumper Instructor Pilot, and Lisa Allen, Air Tactical Pilot, join Piper Brandt in the studio to discuss what it’s like to be a pilot for BLM Fire. They share what it takes to be a smokejumper or leadplane pilot, what they encounter on the job, and how their past experiences led them to the cockpit.

December 11, 202455 min

Beyond wildfire: all about all-hazard response with Mike Mattfeldt, Jim Schultz, and Scott Beacham

When disaster strikes, such as during hurricanes, floods, or search and rescue missions, an all-hands-on-deck situation can arise. This is where wildland firefighters and management can step in to help. Mike Mattfeldt, Program Manager of International Fire Response and Support for the USDA Forest Service, with Jim Schultz, Fire Management Specialist and Scott Beacham, Regional Fuels Management Specialist from the National Park Service, join us to discuss the interagency cooperation behind all-hazard incident response, how firefighters prepare for all-hazard response, and what it’s like to be on the ground helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

October 31, 20241 hr 2 min

How to land a fire job: building a “fire” application with Kim Darnall and Ben Patten

It’s recruitment season for Fire Year 2025 and new fire job listings are opening daily on USAJOBS.gov. Kim Darnall, Human Resources Officer at the National Interagency Fire Center, and Ben Patten, Fire Program Specialist at the BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office, join us to share their tips on how to land the fire job of your dreams. Kim and Ben cover how to navigate USAJOBS, what to include (and not to include) on your resume, and what hiring officials look for in a prospective wildland firefighter. Visit the BLM Fire Jobs Portal for more resources on applying for a BLM Fire Job, including step-by-step videos on how to submit an application on USAJOBS: nifc.gov/careers/blm-fire-job For free online wildland fire trainings, visit the Wildland Fire Learning Portal: wildlandfirelearningportal.net/login/index.php and the FEMA Emergency Management Institute: training.fema.gov/apply/ These websites include information on how to sign up for an account. For descriptions and required trainings for each wildland fire position, visit the NWCG Training Catalog: nwcg.gov/training/training-catalog

September 10, 20241 hr 6 min

Talk dispatch to me: with Amy Lancaster, Tommy Hayes, and Katie Williamson

Dispatch is the behind-the-scenes fire job that keeps wildland fire operations running. From ordering hotshot crews and supplies to responding to medical emergencies, dispatchers never know what might be waiting for them on the other end of the phone. Amy Lancaster, Miles City Interagency Dispatcher Center Manager; Tommy Hayes, BLM Upper Colorado River District Fire Management Officer; and Katie Williamson, BLM Colorado Dispatch Efficiency Coordinator join the conversation to share their unique perspectives on the different levels of dispatch, challenges and successes of the program, and what it’s like to staff a dispatch center.

July 31, 202450 min

Taking flight with Matt Dutton: a discussion about the BLM Remote Pilots and Remote Systems program

Depending on your agency, UAS stands for unmanned, uncrewed, or unoccupied aircraft systems, also referred to as drones by many people. BLM Remote Pilots and Remote Systems Program Manager Matt Dutton named the BLM program for what it is and does - remote pilots, remote systems operation. It was developed to supplement the aircraft fleet in support of resource and incident management initiatives. Matt discusses the use of UAS in wildfire suppression operations, and the benefits to assist land management activities in other program areas. He talks about starting out on a hotshot crew, getting into training development for the government UAS program - helping build it from the ground up, and the importance of keeping the program going. UAS capabilities range from enhancing fireline situational awareness, creating more accurate wildland fire maps, collecting, and displaying thermal and infrared imagery to detect hot spots along the fireline, to supporting prescribed fire operations, and so much more! All this done with the pilot safely on the ground, limiting risk and exposure to firefighters. Matt recognizes the challenges but also sees the opportunity to leverage technology to better work for us and address some of the issues that our organization is facing today. In Matt's words, "It (UAS) is a nighttime, swing shift, smoky condition tool that excels."

June 28, 202450 min

Getting the “skinny” on helitack: a conversation with Brandon Williams and Taylor Clelland

While on a fire assignment, Twin Falls Helitack Supervisor Brandon “Skinny” Williams and Assistant Supervisor Taylor Clelland take a break to chat about what it is like being on a helitack crew. Brandon joins the conversation from the back of a helicopter in Utah while Taylor joins us on the road as a passenger in a vehicle heading to another fire assignment in New Mexico. As good friends before getting wildland fire jobs, Brandon and Taylor talk about what it is like working together, the team aspect of fire management, the relationships you build, the beautiful views you get flying to fires in a helicopter, and sharing those incredible experiences with the people you sweat and toil with.