OPINION: Supervisor grateful for all the help during Kootenai Forest fire season

The 2015 fire season was unprecedented on the Kootenai National Forest. When the fires broke out on Aug. 10 and 14, we wondered if a fire season this big would be the result. Conditions were ripe for the extreme fire activity we observed, due to the minimal winter snowpack, lack of spring rains and little to no precipitation over the last couple of months.

At the height of this fire season we had 154 fires, mostly lightning caused, which burned approximately 33,000 acres. Some of these fires will continue until a significant rain or snow event. It has been 15 years since we have seen this many acres burn on the forest.

Hundreds of firefighters from all over the country, including Puerto Rico, participated in the fire effort on the Kootenai National Forest. Also, firefighting equipment, including aerial support and a great deal of local mechanized equipment were a tremendous help in keeping the fires from spreading even more. Three Type 2 Incident Management Teams and a couple of Type 3 Teams were brought in to handle the large fire complexes on the forest; they were an invaluable resource and greatly appreciated.

Along the way, the public and affected communities were inconvenienced and had to endure pre-evacuation and evacuation notices, forest closure orders, Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions, and a lot of unpleasant smoke.

In addition to firefighters and local teams, many Kootenai Forest employees and retirees helped with fire assignments by filling orders, gathering and shuttling supplies and delivering food to the firefighters. We also worked hand-in-hand with local teams and other partners to coordinate fire information and keep the public informed of the fire situation. We worked with the media, used social media, held public meetings and had fire information boards at strategic spots in the local and affected communities to help spread fire information far and wide.

The Kootenai National Forest would like to thank everyone involved in the fire effort and supporting the fire crews on the ground. It was a team effort across both Lincoln and Sanders County where so many individuals and groups stepped up to show their support. We thank our partners, stakeholders, county and city officials, volunteers, local elected officials, media and especially the public for their patience and understanding during this trying fire season.

Once again, on behalf of myself and all the employees and staff on the Kootenai National Forest, thank you.

Christopher S. Savage, of Libby, is the Kootenai Forest Supervisor.