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2021 Wildfire Season: Brief Overview of
FEMA Programs and Resources
August 2, 2021
Introduction
This Insight provides a brief overview of Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) declarations and
federal assistance programs that may be available for wildfires on nonfederal lands.
Wildfire Forecasts and Response Framework
The federal government has the responsibility for wildfires that begin on federal lands; states are
responsible for wildfires that begin on nonfederal lands. For comingled land ownership, response efforts
may be managed jointly across multiple federal, state, tribal, or local agencies. Information on response
efforts (e.g., responding agency, assigned resources, and evacuation warnings, orders, and center
locations) for ongoing incidents is available from the Incident Information System website. In addition,
some states operate incident information websites (e.g., incident information in California).
The federal government supports state wildfire response efforts in several ways, including mutual aid
agreements, which authorize federal and state resource sharing. The agreements allow for a coordinated
interagency response that deploys resources to areas of greatest critical need. Response activities are
coordinated regionally through 10 Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACCs) and nationally
through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
In addition to response activities, NIFC and the GACCs coordinate national and regional information
regarding wildfire potential through their respective Predictive Services Programs. Daily, weekly,
monthly, and seasonal trend forecasts are produced by combining information about fuel (e.g., brush or
other ignitable vegetation) conditions, fire danger, and fire weather. Fire weather conditions are derived
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NWS).
According to NWS, these conditions involve combinations of periods of sustained winds, relative
humidity values at or below regional thresholds, and temperatures at or above certain levels occurring in
areas that have dry fuels.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11716
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

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