Montana official: county co-op model and new suppression fund boosted wildfire response and mitigation

Wyatt Frampton, deputy state forester for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, told the Wyoming Joint Appropriations Committee that Montana relies primarily on a county cooperative (co‑op) model for wildfire initial attack and backs counties financially when incidents exceed local capacity.

Frampton said the department “has the duty to ensure protection of lands under state and private ownerships” and described two delivery models: county co‑op agreements that fund and equip local governments and a direct protection model in which the department staffs engines, aircraft and frontline wildland positions.

Frampton said Montana protects about 60,000,000 acres (roughly 92% state or private ownership within the department’s responsibility) and supports more than 400 volunteer or local-government fire organizations through its co‑op program. In the co‑op model, he said, counties provide initial attack and the department supplies training, equipment and financial backing when…