Air Force fights fire with fire to prevent Colorado-like blazes

  • Published
  • By Susan Scheuer
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  In recent weeks, wildfires have been sweeping the nation -- for many, forcing evacuations and loss of property; for others, watching news coverage of fires engulfing homes and acres of wildland.

For a few, proactively fighting wildland fire with fire to protect wildlife and natural resources is a daily rather than seasonal mission.

By performing prescribed, controlled burns, fire fighters minimize the risk and damage from wildfires on Air Force controlled land.

"Fires are inevitable on military training ranges," said Kevin Porteck, Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment natural resources subject matter expert. "Through proactive wildland management, including controlled burns, the severity and intensity of wildfires are greatly reduced and more easily controlled."

Prescribed burns and vegetation management may also allow Air Force missions to continue throughout burn bans, since the fuel source is reduced, he explained.

Officially stood up on July 1, 2012, the Air Force Wildland Fire Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home to a specialized force that takes on about 125 prescribed burns along with more than 100 wildfires each year. This elite crew serves a mission of environmental sustainment alongside military mission support -- and demonstrates how both can thrive through careful fire management.

As AFCEE seeks to sustain the Air Force's environmental and installation resources, fire is one of the tools the Air Force employs to accomplish this goal. Although officials at Eglin have been performing prescribed burns for about 50 years, the staff at the recently stood-up center has been able to dramatically increase the amount of land they are able to manage each year. This helps significantly enhance the environment of several fire-dependent species and preserve natural resources.

Situated on 464,000 acres in the panhandle of Florida, Eglin is a fire-dependent ecosystem, primarily longleaf pine forest, and home to numerous endangered species. Yet through a balance of prescribed burns and wildfire response readiness, Eglin sets an example of how complex military goals and wildlife stewardship can form an alliance.

With its staff of 12 federal employees and five contractors, the center has a goal of burning 90,000 acres a year through prescribed burns, and typically exceeds this goal, said James Furman, chief of the Air Force Wildland Fire Center.

Typical burns range from 300 to 1,400 acres and most are conducted between December and June. Furman described the long-term approach to controlled burns as a "chess board," requiring a balance of strategic planning and maximizing the efficiency of burn crews. Burn blocks are typically defined by existing firebreaks -- roads, waterways or other boundaries that restrict the burn area.

Each day includes an evaluation of base activity, wind, weather, and manpower to select the best burn areas. The team typically selects the most difficult block that can safely be burned at that time, Furman said, since there are limited opportunities for some areas. Computer predictions of the smoke plumes are sent to base test engineers to prevent interference with visibility, sensitive military missions and other activities.

Once started, the fires consume the available fuel load; typically dead vegetation. The pyrogenic longleaf pines have adaptive features that enable them to survive the flames. Once the natural fuel burns off, the fire crew performs a "mop-up" to ensure all fire is out, and monitors the area for additional safety.

The cycle is ironic, Furman said: "The more you can burn, the easier it is to burn; the easier it is to burn, the more you can burn." Mimicking burning that would occur naturally, they keep the ecosystem resilient. The longleaf pines thrive and provide homes to such endangered species as the red-cockaded woodpecker, indigo snake and reticulated flatwoods salamander. Through successful burn operations, they have been able to recover the red-cockaded woodpecker population and increase mission flexibility with regard to usable land, Furman said.

Not only do the crew members have their hands full with prescribed burns, but the nature of the base's primary functions, along with natural factors, create a significant number of wildfires. Because key mission areas are prioritized during prescribed burns, the natural fuel source is limited, preventing fires from spreading out of control and damaging mission buildings and equipment.

The center rapidly responds to on-base fire events, and occasionally will deploy team members to fires in nearby areas.

The combination of prescribed burns and wildfires mean constant flames at Eglin, making the center a unique training ground for gaining experienced-based qualifications established by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group in Boise, Idaho.

"Pyro-tourists," as Furman has dubbed them, go to Eglin to get concentrated experiential training in wildfire response and prescribed burning. "Practice makes better," and there are very few places where firefighters can get more hands-on practice than Eglin, he said.

Other Defense Department agencies, U.S. Forestry Service, Fish and Wildlife Services, and even the renowned Vandenberg Hot Shots have trained at Eglin. Once people arrive at the center, the staff quickly assesses their skills, integrates them into their team, and exposes them to fire almost every day of a typical two-week training stay.

In addition, students receive classroom and practical instruction in wildland firefighting methods. This includes ATV training, chainsaw usage, bulldozing and other tactics used to combat wildfires. Unlike structural firefighting, wildfire fighting focuses on containing the fire, rather than extinguishing it.

The Air Force Wildland Fire Center's adaptive and proactive fire hazard mitigation measures are coming to the forefront as wildfires, such as the recent one at Colorado's Waldo Canyon, make headlines. Thanks to these strategies, the vulnerability of the Air Force Academy was greatly reduced when the Waldo Canyon fire approached.

Furman said he hopes to provide adaptive training and information to Air Force programs across the nation -- sharing ways to reduce risk at vulnerable bases. "Working together we will continue to accomplish great things."