Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery




Updated August 11, 2023
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery
Wildfires are unplanned fires. Wildfires may be caused by
Area Coordination Centers coordinate and allocate
natural phenomena (i.e., lightning strikes) or by deliberate
resources at 10 regional levels. The cost of these resources
or accidental human activities. Wildfires occur naturally,
is then reimbursed as specified in the cooperative fire
and many ecosystems evolved in the presence of wildfire,
protection master agreement, which often lists several
meaning wildfires cannot be entirely prevented and may
different methods to apportion costs, each with different
have beneficial impacts. However, wildfires often threaten
financial impacts.
homes and communities, forcing evacuations or requiring a
firefighting response to protect lives and property. From
A state also may request assistance from the Federal
2013 to 2022, there were an average of 61,410 wildfires
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the
annually and an average of 7.2 million acres impacted
Department of Homeland Security for wildfires that began
annually. In 2022, 68,988 wildfires burned 7.6 million
on state or private lands. If a wildfire were burning out of
acres.
control and threatened to become a major disaster, a
governor could request an emergency declaration.
Congress and other stakeholders have considered options
However, the most frequent assistance provided at this
for federal support and assistance to address wildfire
stage from FEMA is through Fire Management Assistance
suppression during a fire, post-wildfire recovery, and land
Grants (FMAGs), as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford
management activities to reduce the risk of future
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford
catastrophic wildfires, among other issues.
Act; 42 U.S.C. §§5271 et seq.). Once issued, an FMAG
declaration authorizes various forms of federal assistance
During a Fire
(e.g., equipment; personnel; and grants to state, local, and
The federal government is responsible for wildfires that
tribal governments) for the control, management, and
begin on federal lands. The Department of the Interior
mitigation of any fire on certain public or private forestland
(DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million
or grassland that might become a major disaster. The grants
acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other
may reimburse up to 75% of allowable suppression costs
public lands, and Indian reservations. The Forest Service
for eligible fires. FMAG declarations, unlike some major
(FS), within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
disaster declarations, do not authorize assistance to
manages wildfire response across the 193 million acres of
individuals and households. A state or tribe may request
the National Forest System.
that the President declare a wildfire a major disaster under
the Stafford Act, authorizing other assistance and recovery
Federal responsibility for wildfire suppression is intended
programs, including assistance to individuals and
to protect lives, property, and resources on federal lands.
households.
Federal wildfire policy is to evaluate the risks to firefighter
and public safety and welfare—and to natural, ecological,
The federal government also supports state and local efforts
and cultural values to be protected—to determine the
to evacuate areas threatened by wildfires. A presidential
appropriate response to wildfire. Depending on the risk
declaration triggers federal aid to protect property and
assessment, the federal response may range from active
public health and safety while attempting to preserve state
suppression to monitoring, as supported by the area’s land
autonomy and responsibility. The National Planning
and resource management plans.
Frameworks guide FEMA on how to assist state and local
agencies with emergencies and disasters, including
States are responsible for suppressing wildfires on
wildfires.
nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, although the
response may be managed jointly for comingled land
Information on active wildfires may be found at
ownership, including federal lands. The federal government
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov.
supports the states in several ways. Many states have
partnerships with federal agencies to provide wildfire
In the Aftermath
suppression services through cooperative fire protection
Federal actions in the aftermath of a wildfire disaster can
agreements. These agreements authorize federal and state
take two principal forms: assistance for economic recovery
partners to share resources—such as aviation equipment
and assistance for ecological recovery. Economic recovery
and personnel—during a wildfire season, allowing for a
includes resources to repair damage to infrastructure and
coordinated interagency response that deploys resources to
private property. A presidential declaration of a major
areas of greatest critical need. The National Multi-Agency
disaster initiates a process for federal assistance to help
Coordination Group, located at the National Interagency
state and local governments and communities recover from
Fire Center in Boise, ID, coordinates and allocates federal,
the disaster. The type and extent of the assistance depends
state, and private forces (as well as the military, when
on a number of factors, such as the nature and severity of
called upon) and resources at a national level. Geographic
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Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery
the wildfire damages and the insurance coverage of the
Grant Program. FEMA also provides grants and training for
affected parties.
firefighting and for community responses to natural
disasters, including wildfires. Projects to reduce the risk of
Ecological recovery includes resources for site
future wildfires may also be eligible under FEMA’s
rehabilitation and restoration. On federal lands, site
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program
rehabilitation routinely occurs under an emergency wildfire
(formerly the Pre-Disaster Grant Mitigation Program).
program through the FS or DOI’s Burned Area Emergency
Response protocols, as well as through regular land
Other wildfire issues include how to prevent a recurrence of
management activities. Activities include sowing areas with
catastrophic fires or minimize damage after they occur.
quick-growing grasses as well as planting trees and
Conditions such as drought, lightning, and high winds make
conducting other activities to reduce erosion, reduce
preventing wildfires impossible, but reducing fuel levels
impacts to water resources, or mitigate the risk of a
(e.g., deadwood) can reduce their potential damage and, in
landslide. They may also include removing dead or
some cases, can decrease the likelihood they will become
damaged trees threatening resources or public safety.
catastrophic. Severe wildfires cannot be prevented or
mitigated in certain ecosystems, however, such as the
On state and private lands, site rehabilitation is the
chaparral of Southern California and lodgepole pine in the
responsibility of the landowner, but USDA has several
northern and central Rockies, which are adapted to high-
programs that can provide assistance. For example, the
severity, stand-replacing fires. In many cases, these fires are
Emergency Watershed Protection Program (administered
crucial to ecosystem functions; for example, lodgepole
jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service), the
pines require high temperatures from fires to release their
Emergency Forest Restoration Program, and the Emergency
seeds. Human interventions, such as fuel reduction, may not
Conservation Program (both administered by the Farm
mitigate the risk or potential ecological impact of these
Service Agency) can provide technical and financial
fires. Nonetheless, it is often possible to protect structures
assistance for stabilization, recovery, and restoration
and other resources in such settings. Federal research,
activities. USDA also has several agricultural assistance
grants, and outreach programs are available to educate
programs to help farmers and ranchers recover from
communities and homeowners on strategies for protecting
production losses following natural disasters, including
residences and other structures. Some keys are the design of
wildfires. Congress also has provided supplemental, ad-hoc
the structure itself (especially nonflammable roofing) and
disaster assistance funding to respond to wildfire events.
the landscaping within close proximity of the structure.
For example, the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire
Local zoning is typically used to inform and enforce
Assistance Act, enacted as part of the Continuing
appropriate wildfire protection standards.
Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations
Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-180, Divisions A and G), established a
CRS Products
program within FEMA to compensate victims and settle
CRS Report R40884, Wildfires: CRS Experts
claims related to impacts from two FS prescribed fires that
escaped control in New Mexico in 2022. In another
CRS Report R43738, Fire Management Assistance Grants:
example, the FY2019 supplemental appropriations act (P.L.
Frequently Asked Questions
116-20) provided funding for the Wildfires and Hurricanes
CRS Report R42854, Emergency Assistance for
Indemnity Program Plus for agricultural losses in 2018 and
Agricultural Land Rehabilitation
2019 from wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
CRS Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance
Some severely burned areas can be at risk of landslides
CRS Report R43784, FEMA’s Disaster Declaration
during subsequent rainstorms, even after site restoration
Process: A Primer
efforts. Little can be done to prevent such landslides, but
monitoring (usually the landowner’s responsibility) can
CRS Report R40811, Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction
provide warning to homeowners to evacuate an area prior to
CRS In Focus IF11539, Wildfires and Hurricanes
their occurrence. After a landslide, other federal post-
Indemnity Program (WHIP)
disaster assistance might become available. Post-fire
mudslides are covered by National Flood Insurance
CRS In Focus IF12398, Funding for Wildfire Management:
Program policies.
FY2024 Appropriations for Forest Service and Department
of the Interior

Prevention and Mitigation
CRS Report R47588, Landslides: Federal Role in
Numerous federal programs provide grants to states and
Research, Assessment, and Response
local governments to prepare for wildfire emergencies. FS
provides financial and technical assistance for state and
CRS Report R45219, Forest Service Assistance Programs
volunteer fire protection efforts. Through partnerships with
This product was originally authored by Katie Hoover,
state forestry agencies, these programs provide funds for
former CRS Specialist in Natural Resources.
community wildfire protection planning and preparation,
hazard mitigation, equipment, and personnel training.
Anne A. Riddle, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
FMAG and major disaster declarations authorize statewide
IF10732
hazard mitigation through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation


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Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery


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