USDA Forest
Service
Northeastern Area
Durham Field Office
271 Mast Road
Durham, NH 03824
(v) (603) 868-7600
(f) (603) 868-7604
(tdd) (603) 868-7603
|
 |
Cooperative Fire Protection
 The
Cooperative Fire Protection Program protects lives, homes, and
improved property—as well as natural resources—from uncontrolled
wildfires on State and private lands by building strong, efficient
State and local fire protection programs. The Forest Service provides
funds to help States and volunteer fire departments maintain leading-edge
prevention and wildland fire suppression techniques. This increases
their ability to provide community protection on non-Federal lands
and to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of fighting
fires on Federal lands, particularly in the wildland/urban interface.
Authority—The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act as amended calls
for the prevention and control of rural fires. The law authorizes financial,
technical, educational, and related assistance to State Foresters or
equivalent State officials to enable such officials to provide technical
information, advice, and related assistance to protect forest lands from
damage caused by fire.
Program components—A small investment in the Cooperative Fire
Protection component programs, State Fire Assistance and Volunteer Fire
Assistance, combined with the Federal Excess Personal Property Program
forms the basis for effective fire protection on non-Federal lands in
the United States.
- State Fire Assistance protects
natural resources from fire on State and private lands. This is achieved
through fire prevention efforts, training and equipping fire organizations,
and aggressive initial attack to keep wildland fire ignitions small.
Federal funds are cost-shared with State and local funds, and help
augment State protection needs. State and local fire organizations,
capable of quickly and efficiently extinguishing wildland and wildland/urban
interface fires, reduce risk to public safety, prevent resource loss,
and minimize the costs of fire suppression.
- Volunteer
Fire Assistance improves the capability and effectiveness of
fire departments in rural and wildland/urban interface areas. The
focus of this Federal assistance is to provide adequate fire and
personal safety equipment, to provide training, and to organize new
fire departments in unprotected communities. Funding is made available
through cost-share grants and is generally used for equipment and
training.
- Federal
Excess Personal Property is acquired by the Forest Service and
loaned to State forestry agencies and their cooperators (rural fire
departments) for wildland and rural community fire protection.
|
|
 |
Contact:
Tom Brady, White Mountain National Forest, 719 N. Main Street,
Laconia, New Hampshire 03846, 603-528-8721 or tbrady@fs.fed.us
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
