Leadership
Chuck Russell, Regional Wildland Fire Management OfficerJason Devcich, Eastern Area Fire Management Officer
Larry Weddle, Western Area Fire Management Officer
Administration
NPS fire professionals keep Alaskans and visitors safe and land-scapes healthy by balancing the risks and benefits of fire while committing to safety, science and stewardship. Efficient and nimble, Alaska wildland fire management is a leader in the use of technol-ogy, science, communication and collaborating with partners and peers.
NPS, Alaska Region, manages 15 parks, preserves, monuments and national historical parks and nearly 54 million acres of land. Between 1950 and 2017, 1,156 fires have burned within Alaska national park land boundaries, that’s an average of 44,118 acres per year. Of that total, 83 percent were lightning-caused.
Fire response in Alaska is unlike most units elsewhere in the Service. NPS Alaska, manages large and long duration natural fires and the agency does not do it alone. NPS Alaska in coordination with Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service, U.S. Forest Ser-vice and State of Alaska Division of Forestry respond to fires as an effective team. NPS resources are available and shared with federal, state, native organizations, tribal and non-governmental partners when requested.
Resources
The entire program totals 24 staff (some positions are vacant), divid-ed amongst the regional office and area programs. Positions include leadership, specialists, forestry technicians, helicopter managers, assistants and support personnel.
Eastern Area Fire Management, based in Fairbanks, oversees fire management responsibilities in:
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
- Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
- Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
- Cape Krusenstern National Monument
- Denali National Park and Preserve
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
- Kobuk Valley National Park
- Noatak National Preserve
Equipment
The NPS maintains an inventory of equipment, strategically located throughout Alaska, to assist in management activities.
- 2 Contracted Type 3 Helicopters
- 1 Type 6 Engine
- 1 22 foot Altwood River Boat
Preparedness | FY15 Completed | FY16 Completed | FY17 Completed |
---|---|---|---|
Preparedness Expenditures | $1,249,553 | $1,039,405.89 | $1,115,890.57 |
Wildfire - Unplanned Ignitions | 39 | 24 | 10 |
Wildfire - Unplanned Ignitions Acres | 114,202 | 23,479 | 4,008 |
Fuels Treatement | FY15 Completed | FY16 Completed | FY17 Completed |
---|---|---|---|
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Mechanical Acres* | 67 | 104 | 20 |
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Prescribed Fire Acres* | 5 | 12 | 23 |
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Total* | 72 | 116 | 43 |
Non-Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Mechanical Acres* | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Non-Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Prescribed Fire Acres* | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Non-Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Treatment - Total* | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fuels Program Total Expenditures | $601,130 | $519,485.99 | $467,619.46 |
Department/Bu-reau/Agency | DOI/Bureau of Indian Affairs | DOI/National Park Service | DOI/Fish and Wildlife Service | USDA/U.S. Forest Service | DOI/Bureau of Land Management |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Managed Acres in Alaska | 1,215,795 | 52,558,648* | 74,104,077 | 22,020,866 | 70,227,439 |
Source for BIA, USFWS, USFS, BLM: BLM Alaska State Office; Alaska Wildland Fire Jurisdictions GIS Layer (April 2018)
Last updated: November 13, 2018