As fall fire season begins, Virginia has set goals to be better prepared and named the Virginia Department of Forestry as the lead agency for incidents.
The increased wildfire activity during the recent fall 2023 and spring 2024 wildfire seasons reinforced the need for effective coordination and communication between all the agencies involved in wildfire suppression in Virginia.
Over the past year, the Department of Forestry worked with local fire departments to suppress 608 wildfires that burned 45,704 acres in Virginia.
The plan is to ensure streamlined operations and accountability, according to an executive order signed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin today.
“We are at our best when everyone – agencies, elected officials and citizens – collaborate across all levels of government and community to protect our natural resources and ensure the safety of all Virginians,” said Youngkin. “Through this executive order, we are proactively enhancing our wildfire coordination and emergency preparedness to mitigate risks to Virginians, wildlife and businesses in communities across the Commonwealth.”
Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Terrance Cole said the order reinforces the collaboration of first response agencies.
“This executive order reinforces the continued and constructive collaboration between the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Fire Programs and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to ensure the Commonwealth remains in the top echelon of preparedness, prevention and response,” said Cole.
DOF partners with local, state and federal agencies to ensure all forests are protected.
“This executive order will further develop our close interagency coordination efforts to ensure quick and efficient wildfire management and protection of Virginia’s people and property,” said State Forester Rob Farrell.
Wildfire incident management
- DOF will ensure all agencies understand their specific roles during wildfire emergencies, promoting coordinated action
- Stress that all resource requests must go through Unified Incident Command, enhancing accountability and efficiency in resource management
- Swift and effective initial attack of wildfires is important, but there is a need to balance the protection of lives and property while ensuring firefighter/responder safety during wildfire incidents
- DOF and Virginia Department of Fire Programs will enter a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration and resource coordination during wildfire incidents
- VDFP will support DOF wildfire management with regional staff to improve information sharing with local emergency operations centers
- DOF and VDEM will work to create a new wildfire annex to better integrate wildfire management into the Commonwealth’s state emergency operations plan, ensuring preparedness and response protocols are current
- All state agencies are directed to work closely with DOF during wildfire incidents, ensuring that information flows efficiently and effectively
- DOF will implement regular updates and simplified reporting methods to keep the public and officials informed about wildfire status and safety measures.
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Crystal Graham
