Forest Fire Reporting

Post date: Jul 06, 2015 11:25:4 PM

On last night's net, there was an interest in volunteer fire spotting -- camping out on a mountain somewhere, and reporting fires. Obviously, this function would be a lot more efficient if you were officially sanctioned and given contact procedures for the agency you're partnering with.

From what I can determine, unsurprisingly, there is currently no such program. No agency wants the liability of directing a loose group of untrained volunteers. If you want to report a fire on your own, that's great, but as soon as they give you a suggestion as to where to go or what areas do/don't need watched, they're responsible for you.

Here are the public numbers for reporting fires to various agencies.

• • WA DNR fire reporting

    • 800-562-6010

  • OR DF field offices (call closest office)

  • http://www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/offices.aspx

  • USFS/BLM

    • ???

I couldn't find that anyone but WA DNR publishes contact info or instructions specificially for citizens to report fires.

If you see a fire start, depending on the location and circumstance, a 911 call may be appropriate.

To view currently-known burn info (at least the major ones):

• http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/

If someone has additional/better info, please add a comment to this page or otherwise let me know.