It’s already been a deadly year for firefighters, and authorities have been putting resources where they can more quickly pounce on wildfires before they get out of hand and increase the possibility of additional loss of life and property.

Fire Managers Juggle Resources

Fire managers try to anticipate nature’s next move, placing thousands of firefighters, hundreds of engines, batteries of bulldozers and fleets of helicopters and air tankers where they’ll make the biggest difference. This year, they’re dealing with persistent drought made worse by record-low snowpack levels and consecutive days of hot, dry and windy weather.

The National Interagency Fire Center, a collection of federal and state agencies that supports on-the-ground wildfire firefighting efforts, sets the preparedness level at 1 to 5 based on fire activity, resource demands, weather and conditions on the ground that can be fuel for a fire. By late June, a surge of wildfire activity prompted coordinators to move the needle to level 4 and begin funneling more crews to the hottest spots.

More than 2,000 fires have been confirmed by the national fire center since the beginning of July alone. The explosion of fire activity across the West has resulted in more highly skilled and experienced incident management teams being assigned. Some have traveled from Alaska and California to help with fires in the Great Basin region.

Sharing Resources Requires Balance

Sharing resources requires balance, as states have to weigh whether to free up resources to help elsewhere or pressure federal officials to keep crews in reserve in case of increased risk. This delicate balance is crucial in a busy year, as firefighters are being directed to attack every blaze as quickly as possible to limit growth.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.