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To the sound of applause in the audience
on the evening of February 15, Dan Mapstone, fire management
officer at Natchez Trace Parkway, accepted the National Fire
Plan Award for Excellence in Community Assistance.
Over 30 national awards were presented to
groups and individuals from across the country who have furthered
the goals and objectives of the National Fire Plan during
2004. The award winners were selected from more than 120 peer-reviewed
nominations submitted from natural resource management agencies
in Federal, State, and local governments, non-government organizations,
and other partners.
Award recipients from the National Park
Service included Natchez Trace Parkway for Excellence in Community
Assistance; Southeast Fire Ecology Partnership for Excellence
in Collaboration (NPS Representative - Caroline Noble, Southeast
Regional Fire Ecologist); Color Country Fuels and WUI Committee,
Utah for Excellence in Hazardous Fuels Reduction (NPS Representative
– Bruce Fields, Assistant Fire Management Officer from
Bryce Canyon National Park); and the Idaho State Fire Plan
Working Group for Excellence in Collaboration.
Following are highlights from a two of the
nominations. Natchez Trace Parkway was selected for Excellence
in Community Assistance through its participation in the various
communities along the Parkway.
Throughout the year, the Parkway collaborates
with 52 rural fire departments along 444 miles of parkway
traversing three states. Through the Rural Fire Assistance
Program, the park helps provide basic wildland fire suppression
materials and gear for those departments as part of the
National Fire Plan.
The Natchez Trace Parkway Fire Management
Program demonstrates an outstanding contribution and commitment
to advancing the goals of the National Fire Plan through
collaboration with local agencies, enhancing the protection
capabilities of rural fire departments, and helping the
public in understanding wildland fire and the management
challenges it presents.
The Southeast Fire Ecology Partnership (SEFEP)
received the award for Excellence in Collaboration.
Defining historic reference conditions,
especially in southeastern landscapes, can be problematic.
In an effort to ensure consistency, the SEFEP is taking
the lead in the development and compilation of information
regarding reference landscape conditions for the southeastern
states.
The complete list of National Fire Plan
Award recipients includes:
Excellence in Community Assistance
- Natchez Trace Parkway, Alabama, Mississippi,
Tennessee
- Utah Division of Forestry, Fire
& State Lands
Excellence in Collaboration
- Uncompahgre Plateau Project, Colorado
- Idaho State Fire Plan Working Group
- Southeast Fire Ecology Partnership
- Excellence in Hazardous Fuels Reduction
- Color Country Fuels and WUI Committee,
Utah
- Whiskey South Planning Team, Idaho
Excellence in Firefighter Preparedness,
Training, and Safety
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- Pacific Northwest Region Rappel Academy
Excellence in Rehabilitation and
Restoration
- Swan Lake, Hungry Horse, Spotted Bear,
and Glacier View Ranger Districts, Montana
- White Mountain Apache Tribal BAER Program,
Arizona
Innovation in Biomass Utilization
- Winn Ranger District, Kisatchie National
Forest, Louisiana
- Roundwood Engineered Structures Dream
Team, Montana
Excellence in Research
- BlueSky Community Modeling Consortium,
Washington
- Dr. Carol Miller, Aldo Leopold Wilderness
Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Montana
The National Fire Plan (NFP) represents
a long-term commitment and investment that is helping to protect
communities, natural resources, and most importantly, the
lives of firefighters and the public. This long-term commitment
is shared among federal agencies, states, local governments,
tribes, and interested publics. Collaboration, priority setting,
and accountability are the guiding principles that will insure
the continued success of the NFP.
The National Fire Plan awards presentation
ceremony was held at the Albuquerque Convention Center preceding
the 5th Annual National Fire Plan Conference. For the second
year running, this conference was held jointly with the International
Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Association of
State Foresters. The conference was designed to offer high
quality learning and information exchange opportunities for
all people charged with firefighting responsibilities, particularly
those working in the Wildland Urban Interface areas.
Learning tracks included: Community Assistance,
Emergency Response, Planning for Community and Firefighter
Safety, Protecting Communities – The Social/Human Element,
and Healthy Landscapes and Risk Reduction.
Other nominees from the National Park Service
for National Fire Plan Awards this year included:
Excellence in Community Assistance
- Zion Fire Management, Utah
- Natchez Trace Parkway, Alabama, Mississippi,
and Tennessee
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri
Nominees for Excellence in Collaboration
- Chris Revels, Kings Mountain National
Military Park, South Carolina
- Dan Hurlbert, Alan Williams, & Doug
Raeburn, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
- Fred Bird—National Park Service
Midwest Region Fire Management Program
- Idaho State Fire Plan Working Group
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri
- Robert and Wedge Post-Fire Collaborative
Group, Montana
- Shenandoah Valley Interagency Wildfire
Prevention and Education Team, Virginia
- Southeast Fire Ecology Partnership
- Southern Mississippi Fire Planning Unit
Prototype
Nominees for Excellence in Hazardous
Fuels Reduction
- Buffalo National River, Arkansas
- Color Country Fuels and WUI Committee,
Utah
- Denali National Park and Preserve Hazardous
Fuels Reduction Project Team, Alaska
- Lassen Volcanic National Park Staff,
California
- National Park Service Southeast Region
Fire Management Program
Nominees for Excellence in Firefighter
Preparedness, Training, and Safety
- Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, Virginia
Nominees for Innovation in Biomass
Utilization
- Denali National Park & Preserve Hazardous
Fuels Reduction s Project Team, Alaska
A complete list of all National Fire
Plan Award nominees may be found at http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/.
Congratulations to all the National
Fire Plan Award recipients and nominees! |
