The Alaska Type 1 Incident Management Team, two Alaska hotshot crews and more than a dozen Alaska Smokejumpers have been mobilized to the Lower 48 to assist with wildland fire management in the western United States.
The Alaska IMT, which consists of approximately 70 highly trained wildland firefighting personnel from multiple Alaska state and federal agencies, flew out on a chartered jet from the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) on Tuesday. The Team will be prepositioned in Boise, Idaho, home to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), to await an assignment.
In addition to the Alaska IMT, two Alaska hotshot crews and 17 Alaska Smokejumpers have departed Alaska to the Lower 48 to support fire suppression and management efforts.
Judging from the level of wildfire activity currently in the western U.S., the Team won’t have to wait long for an assignment.