NIFC opens nominations for 2025 national fire preparedness reviews in Alaska, Wyoming and California

Marshall Thompson, deputy division chief for BLM Fire External Affairs at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, opened a briefing on the 2025 National Fire Preparedness Review, urging staff to consider applying as peer reviewers for upcoming state reviews.

The National Interagency Fire Center will conduct national-level preparedness reviews in Alaska, Wyoming and California in 2025, the presenters said. LJ Brown, a fire program specialist in FA300 who leads national preparedness reviews, said an IAB (FAIB 2025-002) announced the nomination process; nomination links and guidance were posted in the meeting chat.

Why it matters: the preparedness reviews assess state and district fire programs for compliance with established policy and identify commendations, findings and recommendations intended to improve readiness ahead of the fire season. “Fire preparedness reviews assess fire programs for compliance with established fire policies,” Marlene Inohendra said, citing Chapter 2 of the Red Book as the guiding reference.

Logistics and schedule: Brown said Alaska’s national preparedness review will be a 10-day review in May, with the Alaska radio program review occurring earlier in March/April; Wyoming will have a combined radio and preparedness review in June; California’s radio review is slated for May and its preparedness review for June. The 2025 checklists will be published before April; teams will use standardized digital checklists available on the Teams/SharePoint site.

Who can apply and how: the nomination form collects basic contact and supervisor information and allows applicants to list multiple areas of expertise and state preferences. Brown said the program seeks subject-matter experts to serve as peer reviewers and encouraged applicants to select multiple specialties and state preferences when possible. “If you do have multiple areas of expertise, make sure you are putting that on there,” Marshall Thompson advised.

Team expectations and conduct: John Fichtner, National Fire Equipment Program Manager at NIFC, reviewed expectations for team members: be available for the full review when possible, attend pre-review virtual meetings, respond promptly to team-lead requests, bring a laptop, comply with administrative instructions for submitting checklists and draft deliverables, and maintain professional conduct on- and off-duty. He also said engine-team members should have current red cards and full personal protective equipment when assigned.

Pay, travel and overtime: Dave Burley, incident business lead in the Office of Budget and Evaluation, said travel per diem and overtime costs will be paid by the national office and selected participants will be given a charge code. He cautioned applicants about Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) distinctions: “Some of the concern… your overtime is capped at your base pay,” Burley said of exempt employees, noting nonexempt staff receive full overtime. Team members must use government travel cards and Concur for travel arrangements not made by team leads.

Products and follow-up: teams deliver checklists, commendations and recommendations to districts during closeouts; final statewide documents go to state directors with the expectation the state will return an action plan addressing any recommendations. Brown said templates and prior examples are provided to help reviewers produce consistent findings and reports.

Participant perspectives: multiple past reviewers spoke about the professional-development and networking value of serving on national reviews. Logan Blankenship, a review team lead for Alaska, said the process is “very non punitive” and is a good opportunity to share and learn best practices across states.

Next steps: nomination is open at least through March; team leads will select reviewers, notify both selected and unselected applicants, and coordinate travel, lodging and logistics in advance. The IAB (FAIB 2025-002) and nomination link remain the primary sources for sign-up and role-selection information.

The briefing closed with senior leadership underscoring the reviews’ purpose: ensuring states are adequately prepared for fire season and providing accountability to the front office and deputy director for administration programs.