The National Multi-Agency Coordinating (NMAC) Group has maintained the National Preparedness Level at 5 — the highest on a 1-to-5 scale — since July 18, 2026. With 30,132 firefighting personnel currently deployed across the country and no relief in sight from extreme fire weather, resource managers are navigating one of the most logistically demanding fire seasons in recent memory.
What Preparedness Level 5 Means
A National Preparedness Level of 5 indicates that wildfire activity has reached extreme levels and that firefighting resources — crews, engines, tankers, helicopters, support personnel — are fully committed. At PL5, national resource sharing mechanisms are in full operation, and the coordination required to move assets from low-demand areas to high-demand ones becomes a complex, around-the-clock logistics challenge.
Resources are allocated based on a triage system that considers risk to life and property, anticipated firefighter effectiveness, and relative fire potential. This means some lower-risk fires may receive reduced initial attack response while high-priority incidents receive the bulk of available assets.
The Northwest Is Fully Committed
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) in Portland is also at Preparedness Level 5. Oregon and Washington are hosting a combined 47 large fires — nearly half the nation's active count — making the region the epicenter of resource demand. The NWCC coordinates resources across all federal and state agencies in the two-state region, including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Washington DNR.
More than 1,500 personnel alone are assigned to the three-fire Spokane Area complex. The Grasshopper Fire, Tartar Fire, and dozens of additional Oregon fires are each drawing hundreds more. When you add up resources across 47 fires in Washington and Oregon — plus Idaho's 7 large fires — the regional demand is enormous.
The Role of Air Resources
Air tankers, single-engine air tankers (SEATs), and helicopters are in extremely high demand this season. With multiple PL5 events happening simultaneously, air resources must be carefully triaged. Some incidents are operating with fewer aerial assets than fire behavior would warrant, due simply to the limited national fleet. Retardant drops are being prioritized for structure protection and to support crews on the ground.
Mutual Aid and Military Assets
Federal agencies have activated mutual aid agreements to bring in additional resources, including National Guard assets in both Oregon and Washington. Emergency fire crews and contract resources have been mobilized from regions of lower fire activity. Incident management teams — the mobile management units that take command of large, complex fires — are fully deployed across the region.
The NIFC encourages the public to be patient with response times and to take personal preparedness seriously. Follow NWFireWatch for continued updates as the season progresses.