May 1 2012:
Globally Focused on Wildfire Issues
President's Desk by Dan W. Bailey
March/April 2012
Twenty-two years ago, a small group of individuals formed an organization to deal with the expanding issue of wildland fire. Today, that small group has grown to become the global leader in sharing wildfire research, technology transfer, data collection and innovative education programs. We continue to be focused on what the founders of the
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Newsletter, President's Desk, Media, Position Papers
IAWF Newsletter
President's Desk
Wildfire Magazine Editorials, written by the President of the IAWF
May 5 2011:
March / April 2011 - Milestones in Communication
By Chuck Bushey, President, Interntional Association of Wildland Fire. I believe it is important to note milestones with family and friends to remember what has been and to think about the future. With family it is often birthdays and anniversaries, friends it might be that special school graduation year. Organizations such as IAWF sometimes lose track of those special temporal signposts that c More »
March / April 2011 - Milestones in Communication
By Chuck Bushey, President, Interntional Association of Wildland Fire. I believe it is important to note milestones with family and friends to remember what has been and to think about the future. With family it is often birthdays and anniversaries, friends it might be that special school graduation year. Organizations such as IAWF sometimes lose track of those special temporal signposts that c More »
May 5 2011:
January / February 2011 - Coming together
By Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Back in February 2006, the IAWF invited the nation's wildland fire leaders to meet in Washington, D.C., at the Russell Senate Office Building to discuss the future of U.S. wildland fire policy and strategy. Assisted by two representatives from Canadian wildland fire agencies, the participants exchanged ideas on policy issue More »
January / February 2011 - Coming together
By Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Back in February 2006, the IAWF invited the nation's wildland fire leaders to meet in Washington, D.C., at the Russell Senate Office Building to discuss the future of U.S. wildland fire policy and strategy. Assisted by two representatives from Canadian wildland fire agencies, the participants exchanged ideas on policy issue More »
Nov 29 2010:
Catch the Wave
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Many Wildfire issues ago, I addressed the major historical developments in U.S. wildland fire policy that appeared to come in cycles or waves, which Steve Pyne described in his book, Tending Fire. At the time, I was particularly interested in the "Fourth Wave," which focuses on modifying landsc More »
Catch the Wave
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Many Wildfire issues ago, I addressed the major historical developments in U.S. wildland fire policy that appeared to come in cycles or waves, which Steve Pyne described in his book, Tending Fire. At the time, I was particularly interested in the "Fourth Wave," which focuses on modifying landsc More »
Oct 1 2010:
The need for good science
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. One of the very early tenets of the International Association of Wildland Fire was that all wildland fire management policy and actions should be based on the best available scientific knowledge, and that as a professional association we would do our best to support this concept around the world. IAWF's roots i More »
The need for good science
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. One of the very early tenets of the International Association of Wildland Fire was that all wildland fire management policy and actions should be based on the best available scientific knowledge, and that as a professional association we would do our best to support this concept around the world. IAWF's roots i More »
Jul 25 2010:
Balancing Learning and Budgets
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. In my time serving from the fireline to the fire office, there have been several constants besides the fact that there will always be another fire season. Two of these are that budgets always seem to fluctuate — if not in real dollars then in how much those dollars could purchase, produce or employ — and that More »
Balancing Learning and Budgets
By: Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. In my time serving from the fireline to the fire office, there have been several constants besides the fact that there will always be another fire season. Two of these are that budgets always seem to fluctuate — if not in real dollars then in how much those dollars could purchase, produce or employ — and that More »
May 27 2010:
When the Mountains Roared
May 2010 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. 2010 is a special year that commemorates many events in my small region of the global fire community. One of the most important events occurred in August 100 years ago — "The Big Burn." This issue of Wildfire features an article by Dr. Lincoln Bramwell on that 1910 fire season in the Rocky Mountains of th More »
When the Mountains Roared
May 2010 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. 2010 is a special year that commemorates many events in my small region of the global fire community. One of the most important events occurred in August 100 years ago — "The Big Burn." This issue of Wildfire features an article by Dr. Lincoln Bramwell on that 1910 fire season in the Rocky Mountains of th More »
Apr 27 2010:
Fire from the gods
April 2010 – Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The use of graphic design to create a visual association with a concept has been around for thousands of years. Since the 1950s, in fact, there has been a boom in commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals adopting logotypes or ideograms to aid and promote instant public recognition of their grou More »
Fire from the gods
April 2010 – Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The use of graphic design to create a visual association with a concept has been around for thousands of years. Since the 1950s, in fact, there has been a boom in commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals adopting logotypes or ideograms to aid and promote instant public recognition of their grou More »
Oct 13 2009:
Consequences Drive Collaboration
Consequences Drive Collaboration By Chuck Bushey On August 19 the Victoria Bushfires Royal Commission handed down its interim report on the tragic and destructive bushfires of February. For those of you who have not had the chance to read it, the report is available on the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre Web site at More »
Consequences Drive Collaboration
Consequences Drive Collaboration By Chuck Bushey On August 19 the Victoria Bushfires Royal Commission handed down its interim report on the tragic and destructive bushfires of February. For those of you who have not had the chance to read it, the report is available on the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre Web site at More »
Aug 27 2009:
Ten Years Later
June 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Recently, we held our 10th IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Summit in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, where the central theme was the 10th anniversary of the release of Phase III of the Wildland Firefighter Safety Awareness Study, more popularly known as the “TriData Study” after the corporation that con More »
Ten Years Later
June 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. Recently, we held our 10th IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Summit in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, where the central theme was the 10th anniversary of the release of Phase III of the Wildland Firefighter Safety Awareness Study, more popularly known as the “TriData Study” after the corporation that con More »
Apr 1 2009:
Australian Policy in Review
April 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The recent Australian bushfires and tragic civilian deaths in Victoria have prompted inevitable reviews of that country's bushfire policy for homeowners. Following the extraordinary fire runs of Feb. 7, Victorian Premier John Brumby said that the long-standing approach of "Prepare, stay and defend, or go early," h More »
Australian Policy in Review
April 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The recent Australian bushfires and tragic civilian deaths in Victoria have prompted inevitable reviews of that country's bushfire policy for homeowners. Following the extraordinary fire runs of Feb. 7, Victorian Premier John Brumby said that the long-standing approach of "Prepare, stay and defend, or go early," h More »
Jan 1 2009:
Celebrating 20 Years
January 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The International Association of Wildland Fire turns 20 this year, and I've had some time to reflect on that milestone during this cold winter in the northern hemisphere. So much has happened in the last two decades, which seem to have gone by in a flash. I have been More »
Celebrating 20 Years
January 2009 - Chuck Bushey, President, International Association of Wildland Fire. The International Association of Wildland Fire turns 20 this year, and I've had some time to reflect on that milestone during this cold winter in the northern hemisphere. So much has happened in the last two decades, which seem to have gone by in a flash. I have been More »
News Releases
- IAWF Announces Global Wildfire Awareness Week, April 29, 2011
- IAWF Safety Summit makes donations to WFF, IFRM and others, April 29, 2011
- IAWF and IFRM form new Cooperative Partnership, December 16, 2009
- IAWF Endorses Three Pieces of Wildland Fire Legislation, December 7, 2007
- IAWF Issues Position Paper on Climate Change, May 16, 2007
- Survey about Thirtymile Fire Criminal Charges, February 20, 2007
- IAWF Awards Wildland Fire Scholarships, February 9, 2007
- IAWF Congratulates New U. S Forest Service Chief, January 12, 2007
- Thirtymile Fire Criminal Complaint, Joint IAWF & FWFSA Release, Dec. 28, 2006
- New IAWF Executive Director, March 6, 2005
- 8th Wildland Fire Safety Summit announcement, April 14, 2005
- IAWF Elections, December 22, 2005
- IAWF Accomplishments 2005
IAWF Position Papers
- Climate Change
- Submission
to Parliament of Victoria, Australia; Land Management Practices and Bushfires
Infamous World Fires
This is a partial list, by date of the year, of some of the more famous, or infamous, multiple fatality wildland fires around the world over the last 150 years, compiled by the International Association of Wildland Fire. The list also includes a few non-fatality fires that have historical significance and affected wildland fire policy and practices.
There are several purposes of doing the research and compiling this list by calendar date. It is hoped that individuals and organizations involved in fire, especially wildland fire, will mark these dates on a calendar, or refer to the IAWFs Wildland Fire Event Calendar on the Internet at www.iawfonline.org.
By having these wildland fires on a calendar, the lessons learned from even a 130 year old fire will be less likely to be forgotten. An unforgotten lesson learned may save the life of a current or future firefighter. It is not intended to be a complete list of every fatality fire. The data has been gathered from many different sources, and the IAWF assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.
