BLM awards $2.76 million contract for advanced wildfire communication kits as part of Investing in America agenda
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Boise, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management today announced a $2.76 million award through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda, to 3T Innovations, LLC to create communication kits and on-site training to improve firefighter safety and wildfire operations.
The specially designed kits will contain cutting-edge radio systems with satellite capability, ensuring reliable and resilient communication during wildfire suppression operations. The kits are designed to improve coordination and efficiency among firefighters, which is critical during wildfire response.
"Reliable communication is the backbone of effective wildfire suppression operations," said BLM Fire Operations Division Chief, Brian Achziger. "These new kits will provide incident management teams and firefighters with the tools they need to stay connected in the most challenging environments."
The communication kits will be deployed to both initial attack and large fire incidents in high-risk areas across the country, where they are expected to make an immediate impact on firefighting operations.
The BLM remains committed to improving its wildfire response capabilities and will continue to invest in advanced technology to better protect our nation's public lands. This $2.76 million investment contributes to a larger plan to upgrade and modernize communication infrastructure for wildfire response across all agency jurisdictions. A $10 million total commitment will address radio interoperability issues that have plagued wildland fire suppression communications as technological advances have outpaced the efforts of wildland fire programs. The planned upgrades will help ensure that all firefighting personnel have the technology they need to communicate with other response personnel to protect lives, property, and public lands.
Training in using the kits will be provided to communications specialists from the National Interagency Incident Communications Division at the National Interagency Fire Center, as well as communications specialists from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and BLM.
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.