Written by Halie Miyazawa 

The Council of Western State Foresters hosted the Western State Fire Managers (WSFM) and Western State Fire Business Managers (WSBM) committee meetings in Spokane, WA, from October 8 to 10. 

The WSFM and WSBM joint meeting marked the first in-person gathering with both groups in quite some time, bringing together over 35 participants from 15 Western states.

States have been experiencing an increase in fires over a longer fire season and an increase in the costs of fires. 2024 brought some of the largest fires on record for several western states. Fire Managers and Fire Business Managers had the opportunity to share challenges, successes, and recent developments in their states. Attendees also shared different state processes and compared the differences and similarities across states.

Fire Managers spent a half day visiting the site of the 2023 Gray Fire, which burned in Washington near Medical Lake. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR) shared successes, challenges, and lessons learned during this fire.

Joshua Kohler from the WA DNR shared a Stress First Aid #breakthestigma presentation with the Fire Business Managers. The presentation highlighted the importance of mental health and taking care of not only the individuals on the team, but also yourself.

This year, the WSFM established the Mental Health and Wellness subcommittee, which focuses on providing support and sharing resources for individuals involved with wildland fire and their families across the West. 

During the 2025 work plan discussion, the Fire Managers also explored the need and possibility of creating two additional subject matter expert subcommittees to help streamline the information and resource-sharing process.

The meeting ended with WSFM and WSBM working together to create a plan for future projects and tasks and to plan the next joint in-person meeting in October 2025.

To learn more about the WSFM, visit https://www.westernforesters.org/about/committees/western-state-fire-managers. 

Photos: Danielle Okst