The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a leader in the nation’s wildland fire management. BLM Fire carries out a broad range of actions to protect the public, natural landscapes, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, and other values and resources. The national BLM Fire program focuses on public safety as its top priority, and consists of fire suppression, preparedness, predictive services, vegetative fuels management, prescribed fire, community assistance and protection, and fire prevention through education. To meet its wildland fire-related challenges, the BLM employs highly trained professional firefighters and managers who are committed to managing wildfire on our public lands. The BLM...
Latest episodes
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56 min
Turning Data into Decisions — Behind the Scenes of Fire Intel
From thermal infrared flights at 10,000 feet to the daily intel reports guiding national strategy, this episode takes you inside the engine room of wildfire intelligence. We sit do…
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41 min
Two Roles, One Goal: Suppression with Stewardship
What does it take to build fireline with 60,000 pound machines and protect sensitive ecosystems while doing it? In this episode of Wildfire Matters, host Caleb Ashby sits down with…
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1 h 13
Land management is fire management: an overview of the BLM Fuels Management program with TJ Clifford, Diane Ma…
You can’t talk about wildland fire without talking about land. In this episode, we sit down with TJ Clifford, Diane Mastin Dixon, Casey Cheesbrough, and Lance Okeson to break down…
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52 min
Fighting wildfire in Alaska: a chat with Chena Hotshots Galen Milchman and Emily Evans
When you work for the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service, things are done a little differently than in the lower 48. Chena hotshots Galen Milchman and Emily Evans join u…
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49 min
What it’s like to be a BLM Pilot: winging it with Bob McCormick and Lisa Allen
Fire jobs are some of the most unique out there; piloting aircraft for the Bureau of Land Management goes above and beyond. Bob McCormick, Smokejumper Instructor Pilot, and Lisa Al…
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56 min
Beyond wildfire: all about all-hazard response with Mike Mattfeldt, Jim Schultz, and Scott Beacham
When disaster strikes, such as during hurricanes, floods, or search and rescue missions, an all-hands-on-deck situation can arise. This is where wildland firefighters and managemen…
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1 h 02
How to land a fire job: building a “fire” application with Kim Darnall and Ben Patten
It’s recruitment season for Fire Year 2025 and new fire job listings are opening daily on USAJOBS.gov. Kim Darnall, Human Resources Officer at the National Interagency Fire Center,…
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1 h 06
Talk dispatch to me: with Amy Lancaster, Tommy Hayes, and Katie Williamson
Dispatch is the behind-the-scenes fire job that keeps wildland fire operations running. From ordering hotshot crews and supplies to responding to medical emergencies, dispatchers n…
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50 min
Taking flight with Matt Dutton: a discussion about the BLM Remote Pilots and Remote Systems program
Depending on your agency, UAS stands for unmanned, uncrewed, or unoccupied aircraft systems, also referred to as drones by many people. BLM Remote Pilots and Remote Systems Program…
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50 min
Getting the “skinny” on helitack: a conversation with Brandon Williams and Taylor Clelland
While on a fire assignment, Twin Falls Helitack Supervisor Brandon “Skinny” Williams and Assistant Supervisor Taylor Clelland take a break to chat about what it is like being on a…
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1 h 00
Remote Automatic Weather Station operations: shooting the breeze with Robbie Swofford, Justin Dopp and Cindy S…
Talking about the weather is common in everyday conversation, but talking about all the work that goes into collecting weather data is a bit more complicated. When it comes to fire…
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48 min
The National Fire Equipment Program: talking shop with John Fitchner and Justin Lammers
The award-winning National Fire Equipment Program (NFEP) located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) incorporates firefighter innovation with industry expertise to provi…
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39 min
Looking at landscape ecology as it relates to wildland fire and fuels management: a conversation with Michele…
Michele Crist, landscape ecologist for the Bureau of Land Management fire planning and fuels management program, studies landscape changes in the environment including research on…
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46 min
Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation and the National Seed Warehouse System: a discussion with Jake Ferg…
Ever wonder what happens to a burned area after a wildfire? How about the seeds used for land restoration? Jake Ferguson, the BLM National Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitatio…
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52 min
Learn about the Joint Fire Science Program with Coleen Haskell and Karen Dante-Wood
Coleen Haskell, Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Program Manager, and Karen Dante-Wood, JFSP Technology Transfer Specialist, introduce us to the program created by Congress in 199…
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57 min
Not your ordinary job: a Wildfire Matters look back at different careers in fire with Carrie and Jennifer
BLM Fire employs over 3,600 wildland firefighters and support personnel nationwide. Since premiering in 2022, the Wildfire Matters podcast has focused on BLM Fire employees in the…
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1 h 01
Wildland Firefighting positions: Q&A with a panel of subject matter experts
There are quite a few questions swirling about the new Wildland Firefighting positions in the Wildland Fire Management 0456 series recently reclassified by Office of Personnel Mana…
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55 min
Fire suppression preparedness and incident management: a discussion with Steve Shaw
Steve Shaw, BLM Fire Branch Chief of Preparedness and Suppression Support, talks about his wildland fire management journey starting on an engine crew in Montana, to hotshot in Cal…
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1 h 04
Alaska Fire Service: Managing wildfires in the great state of Alaska, part two
In the 49th state, wildfire suppression is a bit different than in the Lower 48. This second episode dedicated to the Alaska Fire Service (AFS) featuring Ray Crowe, A.J. Gavin, and…
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1 h 20
Alaska Fire Service: Managing wildfires in the great state of Alaska, part one
The BLM Alaska Fire Service (AFS) was created in 1982 to provide efficient and cost-effective fire suppression services for all U.S. Department of the Interior and Native lands and…