National Interagency Fire Center

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The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, is the physical facility that is home to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), and the National Multi-Agency Coordination group (NMAC or MAC).

The center's mission is the complex interagency co-ordination of wildland firefighting resources in the United States. Although the NIFC was founded due to wildland fires in the western states, the center is now designated as an "all-risk" co-ordination center and thus provides support in response to other emergencies such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes for the entire United States.

1 Escalation of fire coordination
2 Participating agencies
3 Location
4 See also
5 Outside Link

A wildland fire is initially managed by the local agency that has fire protection responsibility for that area. Engines, ground crews, hotshots, smokejumpers, helicopters with water buckets, and airtankers may all be used for initial suppression. Various local agencies may work together, sharing personnel and equipment, to fight new fires and those that escape initial action.

The United States is divided into 11 geographic areas. If a wildland fire grows to the point where local personnel and equipment are insufficient, the responsible agency contacts the Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC) for help. The GACC will dispatch a Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) and they will locate and dispatch additional firefighters and support personnel throughout the geographic area at risk.

When the emergency exceeds the resorces of the GACC, a call is then made to the National Interagency Coordination Center at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

NIFC is the home of the National Interagency Coordintation Center (NICC). If a fire exceeds the level of local control and all the resorces in its geographic area, NICC will call dispatch a type 1 Incident Management Team and additional national resorces from multiple agencies as required. At this level, Department of Defense fire fighting resorces can be utilized and dispatched.

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC or MAC) resides at the NIFC and is used to allocate and prioritize personnel and equipment if many national emergencies are straining the support system.

MAC also establishes the National Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to help assure that firefighting resources are ready to respond to new incidents. Preparedness Levels are dictated by burning conditions, fire activity, and especially resource availability.

Several national and state assets are involved at NIFC: