Sheridan County staff to apply for FMAG mitigation grant to map coal-seam fires

Sheridan County staff asked the Board of County Commissioners on April 21 to approve applying for a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FMAG) fuel-mitigation grant to inventory coal-seam fires across the county.

The request, presented during the county’s regular staff meeting, sought permission to prepare a grant application that would pay for an inventory—using methods such as aerial mapping and drones—that county and neighboring-county officials say is a first step to targeted mitigation. The application deadline was described as in early June; the request included a required 25% match that may be provided in cash or in-kind contributions.

Why it matters: Coal-seam fires can ignite recurring or new wildfires and produce persistent hotspots that are costly and difficult to suppress. Mapping where seams are burning would allow officials and landowners to prioritize mitigation work and could reduce the acreage of future fires, officials said.

At the meeting, the presenter, identified only as Chris (no last name provided), said the work would begin with an inventory and that Montana counties that have done similar work use a mix of aircraft and drones to locate burning seams. “What I’m really asking is permission to move forward with a grant to apply for an FMAG fuel mitigation grant to inventory these coal seams,” Chris said. He described a recent meeting with counterparts from Campbell and Johnson counties, the Bureau of Land Management and state partners and said Campbell County indicated interest in a joint application.

Chris said the inventory price cited by another county contact was in the low tens of dollars per acre; he framed his initial county-level estimate as a rough calculation, saying that if the county’s roughly “a million 6 acres” were surveyed in full the cost could be in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that the actual application would target higher-risk areas rather than the entire county. He emphasized the figures were preliminary and asked for permission before preparing a full application.

A county official present noted the FMAG designation tied to recent large fires made mitigation funds available, and that some of the local match could come from money already allocated or reimbursements associated with the Remington fire; that official said the county would not necessarily receive cash immediately because the application process extends into the next fiscal year.

Board members voiced support for cooperating with neighboring counties to share crews and spread the match cost. Commissioners did not require a formal vote; the chair indicated the board was willing to let staff move forward with the application unless someone objected.

Next steps: Staff will prepare the grant application for the FMAG fuel-mitigation program and coordinate with Campbell County and other partners on scope and match. No formal appropriation or procurement decision was taken at the April 21 meeting.