Preparing for Wildfires

Preparing for Wildfires. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell put in an appearance at Boise’s National Interagency Fire Center yesterday and talked about the Federal Government's efforts to ensure collaboration in protecting Americans from wildfire.

JEWELL: The think that is most extraordinary about NIFC here where we are is that there are no barriers between the agencies in working together in the thoughtful management of wild land fire throughout this country but in particular this time of year in the inter-mountain west.

Tom Vilsack talks about how the agencies work together.

VILSACK: It’s really a three step process here. Both the Department of the Interior and the United States Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service are obviously involved in trying to do the best job we can with limited resources to make our forests as resilient and as protected against fire as possible.

FEMA’s Chief Ernest Mitchell echoed both Jewell & Vilsack.

MITCHELL: We need the publics assistance with all this fire hazard and danger in the upcoming season. As a member of the team, we are also encouraging them to implement fire prevention and preparedness efforts. The phrase that we are championing with the public today is that fire is everyone’s fight.

The outlook for the fire season is severe across much of the Western United States. In 2012, 9.3 million acres of private, state, and federal land, and more than 4,400 structures burned in wildfires.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.