BLM Color Country helps equip local firefighters
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Letting others make use of what you don’t need is a long-standing Utah tradition, one that the Bureau of Land Management’s Color Country District kept alive by handing off 11 handheld radios and one fire engine to local fire departments.
The district’s fire managers transferred the equipment as part of the BLM's Rural Fire Readiness (RFR) program that provides essential wildland firefighting equipment to local firefighting partners at no cost.
“We’re all in this business together and helping each other out is what we should be doing.” said Josh Tibbetts, Color Country District fire management officer. He noted local fire departments respond to federal fires and the BLM backs up the local departments. “We’re going to see a lot of this equipment again, next time in the hands of partners in our local communities.”
Tibbets and his team completed the transfer at the interagency dispatch center in Cedar City, January 9. Two Bendix King Handheld Radios were given to the Junction Fire Department, four radios went to the Kanarraville Fire Department, five radios went to the Parowan Fire Department, and one Type 4 engine was provided to the Beryl Fire Department. The equipment was used for multiple fire seasons by BLM firefighters at various incidents.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.