We used to think wildland firefighters hibernated like bears after chasing smoke all summer. If so, Mike DeGrosky would like to know why his Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation firefighters have already responded to 38 wildfires by the first week of March.
Replacing fire-wrecked supplies like that hose and repairing fire equipment is how DRNC fire workers spend their off-season days. DeGrosky said changing climate conditions and growing human encroachment into fire-prone areas has cut into that down-time.
“They’re already expecting to have a terrible time around the Great Lakes and the Northern Plains states,” he said of the national fire forecasts. “And Billings set a temperature record over the weekend. Now, it could start to rain in June and make everything different. But right now, the call is for significant warmth and continued drought, especially in central and southeast Montana.”
Fires in that part of the state differ from the blazes western Montanans are used to. They often strike grasslands and prairies where a stiff wind can char thousands of acres in an afternoon. That puts huge focus on the fire’s early stages, which in turn highlights one of DeGrosky’s strategic challenges.