BOISE, Idaho —
On Tuesday, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) announced July 2 as National Wildland Firefighter Day.
NIFC said the day is intended to recognize the dedication of Wildland Firefighters, including federal, state, local, rural, contract, and support personnel. The day is intended to recognize the hard work and dedication of all wildland firefighters and support personnel. NIFC said that these men and women work to save lives, property, infrastructure and precious natural and cultural resources every year.
The decision to make July 2 the official day is meaningful since it occurs during the week of remembrance, from June 30 to July 6, to remember wildland firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty, according to NIFC.
NIFC said National Wildland Firefighter Day was also created to support the U.S Department of Interior (DOI) and U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manage the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S Forest Service (USFS) respectively, and efforts to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Wildland Fire Management programs, which provides significant funding to expand a workforce reform initiative designed to further reinforce wildland fire management staff.
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