Podcasts

Season 8 | Wildland Firefighting Professionals | Episode 2

#123 | In wildland fire, it’s all about interagency cooperation

August 14, 2019 | Dan Smith

Dan Smith is Fire Director for the National Association of State Foresters and the associations’s Wildland Fire Representative for 50 states and 8 territories at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. In this role, Dan works collaboratively with the Federal Wildland Fire Directors and serves as a member of the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group, which provides wildland fire response on a national level. Dan started his career with a BS in forestry from North Carolina State University, and then enjoyed a long career with the North Carolina Forest Service, fighting wildland fire from his first job! On today’s show, Dan talks about his career, his lessons learned, the challenges of wildland fire today, and his advice for others.

Key Takeaways:

[1:10] A message from Leadership Nature.

[1:55] A quick intro about Dan’s background.

[3:25] How did Dan first get started in his fire career?

[7:35] Dan shares a little bit of history about National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

[10:55] What are some of the best ways to get qualified in this field?

[14:35] What kind of work is Dan up to these days?

[17:40] Dan shares a little bit about his work history and some of the most memorable moments of his career.

[21:40] What are some of the rewards and challenges of being in wildland fire?

[29:00] Each fire has a lesson learned; how does Dan transfer those lessons into practical training for his team?

[31:45] Where is the fire community going, and what additional challenges has the community come across, over the years?

[35:00] Getting communities educated about forest health is an uphill climb.

[37:50] Dan offers some leadership advice, wisdom, and tips.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Visit the National Interagency Fire Center here

Read about the National Wildfire Coordinating Group here

Find any one of our State Foresters here

Get to know the North Carolina Forest Service here