About the National Preparedness Levels (wildfires in the United States)

 I suspect that many of you have heard various websites refer to the National Preparedness Level, a five level scale where as you go up the scale from 1 to 5. I find the current National Preparedness Level on the main fire info page of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) . Rather than try to do a perhaps inadequate job of explaining this to you, I thought that I go to the horses mouth, so to speak. I don't know about you, but I do find it useful to know what each level means, so I went to the NIFC website to learn more. We are currently at Preparedness Level 4, and depending on when you read this, the preparedness level may be higher or lower.

So here goes, you may download a pdf file about the National Preparedness Levels from the NIFC here.

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC) establishes Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to help assure that firefighting resources are ready to respond to new incidents. Preparedness Levels are dictated by fuel and weather conditions, fire activity, and resource availability. 

The five Preparedness Levels range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level. Each Preparedness Level has specific management directions. As the Preparedness Levels rise, more federal and state employees become available for fire mobilization if needed.

Preparedness Level 1

• Geographic Areas accomplish incident management objectives utilizing local resources with little or no national support.

• Conditions are not favorable to support significant wildland fire activity in most geographic areas.
• Resource capability is adequate with little or no mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is expected to remain minimal.

Preparedness Level 2

• Active Geographic Areas (GA's) are unable to independently accomplish incident management objectives. Resource capability remains stable enough nationally to sustain incident operations and meet objectives in active GA's.

• Significant wildland fire activity is increasing in a few geographic areas.

• Resources within most geographic areas are adequate to manage the current situation, with light to moderate mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal to below normal for the time of year.

Preparedness Level 3

• Mobilization of resources nationally is required to sustain incident management operations in the active Geographic Areas (GA's). National priorities established as a necessary measure to address the heavy and persistent demand for shared resources among active GA's.

• Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas, with Incident Management Teams (IMTs) actively engaged.

• Mobilization of resources through the National Interagency Coordination Center is moderate to heavy.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal for the time of year. 

Preparedness Level 4

• Shared resources are heavily committed. National mobilization trends affect all Geographic Areas (GA's) and regularly occur over larger and larger distances. National priorities govern resources of all types. Heavy demand on inactive/low activity GA's with low levels of activity for available resources.

• Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas; significant commitment of Incident Management Teams.

• NICC increasingly engages GACCs in an effort to coordinate and fill orders for available resources.

• Potential for significant incidents emerging in multiple GA’s indicates that resource demands will continue or increase.  

Preparedness Level 5 

• National mobilization is heavily committed and measures need to be taken to support GA's. Active GA's must take emergency measures to sustain incident operations.

• Full commitment of national resources is ongoing.

• Resource orders filled at NICC by specifically coordinating requests with GACCs as resources become available.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is high and expected to remain high in multiple geographic areas. 

Obtained on August 17, 2020 from https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireinfo_prepLevels.html