1986-08-22 Char-Koosta News

              Local firefighters see a lot of action on the Reservation this season
Firefighters on the Reservation are getting their share of work this summer with 26 crews having been sent out so far, but Fire Management technician Homer Courville says the fire activity is less than that of last year.
Courville said the average number of lightning-caused fires on the Rez last year was 45, as compared to 20 this year. "But it could be a busier
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August," he said, due to dryer conditions.
Although the total number of fires may be down, he said we have had more acres burned - "pushing 1800 acres," he said. He said the largest was the Garden Creek fire near Hot Springs which took 749 acres during the first week of August. Another large one south of Dixon that was caused by an August 10 lightning storm burned 670 acres.
Courville says there has been a lot of interest in MIFF (Montana Indian Firefighters) crews, "probably due to all the activity they've had in the past few years." He said they currently have 12 crews listed in the Ronan office when everyone is available. But he noted that on weekends and holidays they have trouble getting crews together. "We could have sent three crews to Oregon, but with Pioneer Days going on, we only got one crew."
Where does the funding come from for all these firefighters? Courville says the main cost is for training crews. He says that is a cooperative effort that is shared by various agencies such as the USFS, BIA, BuRec, the National Park Service and the State of Montana. Locally, he says the Lolo National Forest assists with training crews. Other funding for training is sought through national funds. He guessed that $5,000 to $10,000 is spent yearly on training.
Courville said last year, crews made well over a total of $250,000. But that
doesn't come from the Fire Management budget, he said. "When crews are on a fire, their time is covered by that fire," money that the federal government specially allocates for forest fires.
Lack of funding has affected some federal agencies, says Courville, causing them to depend more on pick-up crews. Thus, MIFF crews are being called on more quickly than in the past.
As for the Garden Creek fire near Hot Springs July 31, Courville reports that 320 fire fighters were called upon, including Forest Service, BIA and state crews. The fire lasted five days and burned 749 acres, costing an estimate of $250,000. He said that the cause is still undetermined.
The six fires that were responded to after the August 10 lightning storm were declared either "contained" or "controlled' August 14, said dis-(Continues on page two)
INSIDE
ALCO meeting........page 3
Stream flows.........Page 4
People..............Page 5
Places to go.........Page 7
Jobs...............Page 23
Elders' page........Page 24