BOISE, Idaho — Wildfires burning across the country have put the nation on high alert, with the United States now at level 5 on the wildfire preparedness scale.
The wildfire preparedness scale ranges from 1-5 and is based on what is happening with fire activity, fuels, weather conditions and available resources.
Preparedness level 5 means that national resources needed to fight wildfires are fully committed – so emergency measures often have to be taken in areas with large, active fires.
The United States is at level 5, and there are also regional levels. The Northwest region, which includes Washington and Oregon, is also at level 5.
This is the fourth time the United States has gone to preparedness level 5 in July in the last two decades.
With the nation's largest fire currently burning in Malheur and Baker counties, other firefighting agencies from across the country are sending whatever resources may currently be available to fight the flames. But with the nation now at level 5, resources can be tied up.
"The areas back east, we're starting to see, asking them for more resources, 'can you send people out to help?' Single resources – there's a team from North Carolina that's helping in Oregon right now," BLM and NIFC Public Affairs Specialist Carrie Bilbao said. "Those are the types of things that happen at this heightened preparedness level, just starting to like shop for more resources and people making more resources available."
Level 5 could also warrant international responses, like when wildland firefighters from Idaho were sent to Canada in 2023. Level 5 preparedness could also prompt emergency response from the National Guard.
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) urges that since the country is at level 5, it is especially important to be aware of red flag warnings and fire restrictions. Human-caused wildfires remain a major issue for wildland firefighters.
