Delaware Wildland Fire Program

Delaware Wildland Fire Program Delaware Forest Service trains volunteers to fight wildfires and sends resources to aid suppression.

The Delaware Forest Service is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fire Compact, an organization of seven states and associated...
06/13/2025

The Delaware Forest Service is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fire Compact, an organization of seven states and associated partners who coordinate efforts in providing quality fire suppression training.

The Mid-Atlantic Fire Compact website is getting a new look! With a more dynamic homepage, visitors will be able to view a map of real-time fire activity, get Compact news updates, and get the latest regional and national reports. The website will also link to other important resources, such as the National Interagency Fire Center.

The Compact hosted the Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy last week. Our own Todd Gsell of Blackbird State Forest and several others represented Delaware for 2025. Todd was the Delaware representative on the Compact Training Committee, the group responsible for conducting the Academy.

On a fire crew, a sawyer (or faller) is assigned to use a chainsaw to cut down trees and clear vegetation. Some tasks ca...
06/05/2025

On a fire crew, a sawyer (or faller) is assigned to use a chainsaw to cut down trees and clear vegetation. Some tasks can include clearing trees to create a landing zone for helicopters or to clear a path to transport injured persons. Good sawyers are good decision makers, and make firefighter safety their priority.

Today, our Wildland Fire Supervisor, Sam Topper, provided saw training for the upcoming fire season. Training included a discussion of safety measures (using the Incident Response Pocket Guide for reference) and field training at Blackbird State Forest, providing the opportunity to practice felling trees. Trainees need to know how to assess and develop a plan to remove the tree (such as clearing the area around the tree), properly mark trees before the cut, and demonstrate various types of cuts.

Our Delaware Wildland Fire program will mobilize its new type 6 engine, E613, for this upcoming fire season. The engine ...
06/02/2025

Our Delaware Wildland Fire program will mobilize its new type 6 engine, E613, for this upcoming fire season. The engine is currently receiving plumbing and electrical additions to prepare for its service this summer. After traveling thousands of miles and fighting numerous fires, E612 will no longer go out west; it is now intended to stay in Delaware to be utilized on local suppression assignments.

đź“· E612 pictured here at Schneider Springs, Washington state, in 2021.

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties for elevat...
03/08/2025

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties for elevated fire risk due to humidity levels dropping to 20-30% and northwesterly winds of 15-25 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.

Delaware is still experiencing a drought, and combined with the normal dormancy in vegetation, it is making it extremely dangerous for wildfires. Don't let the rain puddles fool you! While we experienced rain this week, the grass, shrubs, and trees do not need the water yet since they are not actively growing, so water remains in puddles. So that dry, dead-looking grass, is really dormant, and along with dried leaves, twigs, and branches that have dropped in the wind, and other dormant vegetation, in conjunction with humidity levels and high winds creates a dangerous situation where those "fine fuels" can ignite and a wildfire can quickly spread.

The Delaware Forest Service and many volunteer fire companies across all three counties have been battling many wildfires these past two weeks, which is spreading resources very thin. Please help us by not burning any outdoor materials. Properly extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including smokers, ci******es, ci**rs, etc. https://tinyurl.com/yeadu9vc

From Wildfire To Wildflowers: that fire can actually restore nutrients within the soil? Prescribed fire is also a prim...
03/08/2025

From Wildfire To Wildflowers: that fire can actually restore nutrients within the soil? Prescribed fire is also a primary strategy to improve wildlife habitat. Scheduled for this spring, the Delaware Forest Service and DelDOT are planning a controlled burn on a 43-acre former farm field along U.S. Route 301 adjacent to the Spring Mill Community near Middletown. Created by DelDOT in 2019, the plan is to burn the Dove Nest site in late winter or early spring every two to three years. Find out more information and watch videos of past 301 Rx burns at http://de.gov/301burn. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we gear up for prescribed fire season!

03/05/2025

The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) manages the resources needed to support wildland firefighting efforts throughout the United States. NICC provided its 2024 annual wildland fire summary, which provides national wildfire activity, crew mobilizations, and national preparedness statistics.

In Delaware, 23 wildfires covering 137 acres were caused by human activity. This is a reminder that wildfires do happen in our small state and can be caused by anyone at any time.

The Delaware Forest Service employs a team of volunteer firefighters and partners with local fire companies to combat unintentional fires in our state. Visit de.gov/wildfire to see how our Wildland Fire Program works.

Every year, wildfire ravages millions of acres of forests, marshes, and grasslands across the United States. Having esta...
02/05/2025

Every year, wildfire ravages millions of acres of forests, marshes, and grasslands across the United States. Having established, experienced crews is critical to fighting wildfires here at home and assisting other states to help protect U.S. forests. The RT-130 Fire Camp registration is now open to returning firefighters and recruits who completed the 2025 S-190 & S-130 classes. Join us at Blackbird State Forest for the 2025 Fire Camp on Saturday, April 12, from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., rain or shine. Register for RT-130 at https://tinyurl.com/426yudns.

01/29/2025

Most people think of wildfires in Delaware during the summer and fall, but if the conditions are right, wildfires can happen in the middle of winter, too! In the early morning hours on Friday, in below-freezing conditions, our trained wildland firefighters from the Delaware Forest Service responded to a wildfire in Camden. Even with snow earlier this month, Delaware is still experiencing a drought. Combined with the cold air mass pulling moisture out of surface fuel faster than usual, the risk of wildfires has increased.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that over $20 million is available to strengthen local governments’ wildfi...
01/03/2025

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that over $20 million is available to strengthen local governments’ wildfire response. This will help smaller emergency response agencies, such as volunteer fire companies, to quickly expand their wildfire response capacity 🔥

The Slip-On Tanker Pilot Program can assist local volunteer fire companies in Delaware. Funds can be used to purchase slip-on tanker units, which will allow them to quickly convert trucks and other vehicles to be operated as wildland fire engines đźš’

Apply by February 26 📲 https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/357507

Learn more 🔎 https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-20-million-available-strengthen-local

The Delaware Forest Service’s Wildland Fire Program assists with fires throughout Delaware in various ways, including pr...
12/22/2024

The Delaware Forest Service’s Wildland Fire Program assists with fires throughout Delaware in various ways, including providing additional resources to local fire departments when wildfire risk is high. The Delaware Forest Service offers the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Grant program open to all Delaware volunteer fire companies (VFCs) to acquire pumps, hoses, and equipment to respond to and suppress wildfires 🔥

Congrats to Bridgeville Fire Company 👏 which received the VFA grant this year. The grant allowed them to receive hand tools, including fire rakes, fire hooks, swatters, a McLeod rake, and a chainsaw, along with a portable tank. For more information on how to apply, visit 📲 de.gov/wildfire.

Interested in building a career in wildland firefighting? The Delaware Forest Service is offering Delawareans a unique j...
12/21/2024

Interested in building a career in wildland firefighting? The Delaware Forest Service is offering Delawareans a unique job opportunity for the Summer 2025 fire season, where motivated individuals can join the Delaware Wildland Fire crew and travel on fire assignments nationwide. To experience this adventure of a lifetime, individuals must attend the annual DFS initial wildland fire training, offered at no cost to participants. We are offering the basic courses in person this year (S-190/S-130) on the following dates:

January 18-19, 2025
February 1-2, 2025

Attendance is required at all dates. Participants must complete prerequisite courses (ICS-100/IS-700/L-180) online before attending the in-person classes. Complete details can be found at de.gov/firecrew.

The initial wildland fire training includes a 1-day field day to be held tentatively in March or April 2025 at Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna; the exact date will be announced in January. The field day is designed to help rookies develop a better understanding of their completed coursework and test their knowledge and skills by requiring them to complete several tasks individually and in squads. We will also host our annual RT-130/Fire Camp, which will be open to all veterans who have served on a crew in the past. Both veterans and rookies will complete the Work Capacity Test, Shelter Deployment, and an annual refresher.

Please mark your calendars and spread the word!

https://tinyurl.com/2p9vw9nk

Today marks Day 11 of Delaware’s crew’s 14-day work assignment. They are still focused on initial attack operations in W...
08/30/2024

Today marks Day 11 of Delaware’s crew’s 14-day work assignment. They are still focused on initial attack operations in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest, still assigned to the Mt. Adams Ranger District. According to Sam Topper, who sent in this photograph, it’s been an active few days, with the crew on initial attack for a lightning fire.

The crew will begin their journey home to Delaware on September 3.

Address

2320 S. DuPont Highway
Camden, DE

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+13025151027

Website

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