Rangeland Fire Protection Associations tell committee volunteers can expand firefighting capacity if agencies permit access

Representatives of volunteer fire organizations told the Idaho Senate Agricultural Committee that Rangeland Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) and Timber Protection Associations (TPAs) can provide trained, equipped initial attack resources across large swaths of rangeland and that expanding formal agency cooperation on federal lands could limit catastrophic fire growth.

Mike Gary, chairman of the 3 Creek RFPA and a third‑generation rancher, described RFPA partnership work with the BLM and said his group and a neighboring RFPA cover roughly 1.5 million acres in the Jarbidge Resource Area and have successfully limited some fires after formation following major fires in 2012. “Additional trained firefighters equipped with radios in PPEs” and assets such as engines and water tenders extend early attack capability, Gary said, while stressing safety and the necessity of proper training and leadership.

Gary urged expanded memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and closer Forest Service engagement, and he described recommendations his working group provided to the governor’s wildfire roundtable. Those recommendations include programmatic environmental analyses to reduce permitting delays on transmission rights‑of‑way, funding toolkits to equip volunteers, and expanded use of technology for early detection.

Ranchers who testified said they are often first at scenes and feel their local knowledge is underused. Marlon Wolf, a Midvale rancher whose association runs about 2,100 cows, said local ranchers were first responders to multiple fires and that limitations on communication equipment and agency direction sometimes curtailed their efforts: he described an episode when local backburning was halted and, after a wind shift, the fire grew — an outcome he linked to coordination and communication shortfalls.

Training and red cards: Gary described RFPA firefighters training with BLM crews and receiving modified “red cards” (wildland firefighter qualification cards). He said RFPA members typically do not complete the pack test and noted the groups are mostly volunteer 501(c)(3) organizations that purchase PPE and radios, often at roughly $2,000 per person in equipment costs.

Why it matters: Witnesses argued that expanding formal Forest Service cooperation with RFPAs/TPAs and supporting county-level and interagency agreements could increase initial attack capacity, reduce fire size and protect communities and ranching operations. They cautioned that many RFPA members are not trained for timber crown fires and that TPAs may be better suited for timbered terrain.

Ending: Committee members asked about certification, training and how state agencies use RFPAs; witnesses said the organizations are volunteer, state‑recognized corporations that operate under MOUs where they exist and train with federal crews, and asked the committee to encourage expanded cross‑boundary agreements.