The scale of the 2026 wildfire season is placing extraordinary demands on the national firefighting system. With 29,509 personnel currently deployed to fire incidents across the United States and the Pacific Northwest accounting for the lion's share of large fire activity, resource competition between geographic areas has become a daily operational challenge for national coordinators at the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) in Boise.
Mobilization at Peak Levels
The National Preparedness Level — a measure of national resource commitment and demand — has been at or near its maximum level for much of August 2026. At the highest preparedness levels, the national system is fully committed, and resource orders from any geographic area must be carefully weighed against needs elsewhere.
Incident management teams (IMTs) across the country have been fully subscribed for weeks, with some incidents requiring extended tours and waiver of standard rest requirements. Type 1 and Type 2 IMTs — the most experienced and capable teams in the national system — have been in high demand for the large, complex fires burning in Oregon and Washington.
Air Resources Under Pressure
Aerial firefighting resources, always among the most sought-after assets during peak fire season, are under extreme demand. Very large air tankers (VLATs), large air tankers (LATs), single-engine air tankers (SEATs), and rotor-wing platforms have been continuously deployed across the Northwest. Contracts for exclusive use air tankers are fully committed, and call-when-needed contracts have been activated as the season has intensified.
The Northwest Coordination Center has been coordinating closely with the Southern, Rocky Mountain, and other Geographic Area Coordination Centers to share air resources when daily operational schedules and geographic priorities allow.
Ground Crews and Hand Crews
Type 1 and Type 2 hand crews — the backbone of direct fire suppression and line construction — have been in continuous high demand across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHCs), the elite 20-person units that handle the most dangerous and demanding assignments, have been cycling through Northwest incidents at a rapid pace.
Engine crews, dozer operators, and water tender crews from cooperating agencies, including state forestry departments, county fire departments, and private contractors, have all been integrated into the large incident organization structure. Washington state's $120 million firefighting appropriation for 2026 has helped supplement state resources available to support federal incident operations within the state.
Alaska Adding to Resource Demand
The resource pressure is not limited to the Lower 48. A significant wildfire near Tok, Alaska, is consuming up to 5,500 acres and has burned as many as 20 structures, forcing evacuations and drawing air tankers from Washington and Canada. Three Alaska wildland firefighting crews deployed to fires in the Lower 48 were recalled to assist with the Tok fire — a reminder that resource competition occurs across all geographic areas simultaneously.
Prepositioning Strategy
NIFC and NICC have emphasized prepositioning of firefighting resources in areas where predictive services have identified high fire growth potential — particularly ahead of critical fire weather events like red flag conditions. Prepositioning moves resources closer to potential new starts and shortens initial attack response times, giving firefighters the best chance of containing new fires before they become large and expensive incidents.
Despite these efforts, the 2026 season has demonstrated that even aggressive initial attack cannot contain all fires when weather and fuel conditions are at their most extreme. The focus for the remainder of the season will be on making as much containment progress as possible on existing large fires while standing ready to respond effectively to new starts across the Northwest.