Introduction
Unprecedented fires pose serious threats to the lives of people and their property whenever they occur. There is therefore the need for a fire reduction program to be formulated so that the effects of this destructive vice can be mitigated. The occurrence of wild fires is particularly one area of massive concern. For many years, these fires have caused a lot of destruction in areas across the entire country.
The Fire Hazard Reduction Program that I am going to talk about is the National Fire Plan (NFP). This particular program was formulated in the year 2000 after a season characterized by a lot of wild fires.
The program came into effect after the National Congress decided that there was a need for the reduction and management of fire hazards that have devastated the country for a long time. These fires usually catch people unawares and this results in the interruption of people lives, destruction of property and in some severe cases, the loss of human life. The Congress established that unlike the traditional conventional fire prevention and mitigation strategies that were not actually state sponsored or official, the creation of a national fire reduction program would a long way in dealing with the issue unprecedented wild fires.
The mission of this program is to provide a mechanism for an active response to wild fires, the reduction of wild fire incidences in the future as well as ensuring that there is sufficient capacity to fight fires in case they happen in the future. This mission is supposed to be accomplished through a long term intensive reduction program for hazardous fuels along with vegetation treatment. The intention in the formulation of the hazardous fuels reduction program together with the vegetation treatment was to bring about a significant reduction in the catastrophic wild fires risks. Projects under this reduction program include landscape modifications, fuel breaks, pruning and thinning. Another strategy under the National Fire Plan was regular inspection of homes and or property perceived to be prone to wild fires.
The government agency that is charged with the implementation of the National Fire Plan is the Fire and Aviation Management Bureau (FAMB) which is actually under the national Fire Division. The implementation of the program actually takes place through existing private and state forestry programs which are the State Fire Assistance Program and the County Cooperative Fire Program.
Additionally, the government funds this program through the national Departments of Interior Work and Agriculture.
The National Fire Plan has been in effect for over thirteen years and throughout this period, it has reached several milestones. For example, national fire statistics show that cases of wild fires have been reduced by over 21%. Additionally, a national suppression and response policy has been affected and this policy has been instrumental in alleviating the effects of the unprecedented fires. With this in mind, it is safe to see that the National Fire Plan has been a success. Although still remains to be done with regards to fire production, the National Fire Plan has given the nation hope that the occurrences of fires can indeed be reduced through an effective program. In future, the federal and state governments should come up with similar initiatives as the National Fire Plan to help deal with this issue once and for all.
References
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National Fire Plan. (2012, February 23). Retrieved June 26, 2013, from http://dnrc.mt.gov/forestry/fire/NFP/nfpdefault.asp
United States (2004). Final Yosemite fire management plan environmental impact statement. Yosemite, Calif.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service.
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United States (2000). Wildland fire management plan: Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service.
United States (2003). Wildland fire management: Additional actions required to better identify and prioritize lands needing fuels reduction. Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office.
United States (2001). Review of the national fire plan implementation: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, one Hundred Seventh Congress, first session, March 28, 2001. Washington: U.S. G.P.O.
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National Fire Plan Operations & Reporting System. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2013, from http://www.doi.gov/pmb/owf/nfpors.cfm
