Fuels Burn Index (BI/ERC) Ash Mountain BI: 236 Park Ridge ERC: 32 Cedar Grove BI: 185 Blackrock ERC: 32 Wolverton ERC: 36
Parkwide Duty Officer: Cristian Lopez
Fire dispatchers are on duty from early spring until late fall.
NPS Photo - R. Paterson
The fire and aviation program at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has its own dispatch center, separate from the dispatch center for general park operations. Known as Ash Mountain Fire, the parks’ fire dispatch center is located in the foothills of Sequoia National Park.
Ash Mountain Fire is staffed seasonally, usually from May through November, by one to two permanent dispatchers and one to two seasonal dispatchers. These employees play an indispensable role in the parks’ fire and aviation operations. Duties include tracking resources, ordering resources, coordinating with other agencies on emergency response, tracking helicopter flights, sending park employees to assist in out-of-park incident responses, and generally providing order and safety for the entire organization.
Seasonal positions in Ash Mountain Fire are a terrific point of entry into the field of dispatching and emergency management. The announcements for these jobs usually appear on usajobs.gov in November. Ash Mountain Fire dispatchers have the opportunity to train and acquire a red card. However, this is not a requirement for the position. Additionally, there are often opportunities to work on two-week assignments at larger dispatch centers throughout busy fire seasons.
Dispatchers at Ash Mountain Fire are responsible for tracking all fire personnel and resources.
Current status and assignments of park fire crews and resources
The Current Fire Information page can provide updates on fires in the parks.
Visit our Main Fire Page to learn more about the Fire and Aviation Management Program
in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
