CMAT Assignments

New Bern, North Carolina (2023): One More Day, Croatan National Forest

Mount Hood, Oregon (2022): A Corridor to Collaboration

Evergreen, Colorado (2022): Mitigating Wildfire – Evergreen Needs Everyone

Sevier County, Tennessee (2022): Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Grand County, Colorado (2021): Grand County Turns Troublesome into Triumph

Lake County, California (2021): Lake County – Aligning to Action, Healing the Land, Healing the People

Greater Santa Fe, New Mexico (2021): Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition: A Path Forward

Teller County, Colorado (2020): Teller County Wildfire Council

Alpine, Wyoming (2019): CMAT Report Alpine Area

Dollar Ridge Fire (2018): Crossing Boundaries for Collaboration

Spring Creek Fire (2018):  Mitigating Mountains

Montana Wildfires (2018): Missoula County

Pisgah National Forest (2017): New Insights, New Partners

Chetco Bar (2017): Ideas to Action 

Bridger Teton National Forest (2016): Moving Mitigation Forward: Opportunities for TAWPC

Pike San Isabel National Forest (2016):  A Blueprint for Mitigation

The Chelan Complex – Leavenworth (2015):  Executive Summary

What is CMAT?

CMAT assesses the local conditions, reviews the barriers, and dives in feet first. We review what works and what does not. The team helps the local community make the necessary connections it needs to succeed and leaves it with the tools it needs to move forward. Like Coalitions and Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO), CMAT does not do the work for a community; instead, we facilitate positive actions.

What A CMAT Provides

  • CMAT works closely with Incident Management Teams, the Forest Service or other land management agencies and community residents and leaders to identify mitigation opportunities before a fire impacts the community.
  • CMAT works with local partners to identify and help them resolve mitigation challenges and build long-term mitigation efforts using best practices.
  • The team uses SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, one-on-one interviews, mentoring, best community risk reduction practices, mini-workshops, Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), risk and fire occurrence maps, home assessments, pertinent research, demographics, their experience, and close community collaboration to help communities move mitigation forward.
  • Every assignment is different and dictated by individual community needs.

When Can CMAT Help?

  • The community is at medium to high risk of wildfire and has an identified mitigation challenge.
  • There is an existing wildfire mitigation organization/coalition including local, state, and federal land management partners.
  • Pertinent local, state, and federal partners have the capacity and desire to work closely with the team during the assignment and to implement resulting recommendations including follow-up reporting of accomplishments.
  • Scope of the project should provide a good return on investment (long and short term) to justify cost to deploy a team.
  • The ordering authority must provide a working location, internet access, and support for the CMAT during deployment.

Ordering a CMAT

Any community that meets the conditions described above may request a CMAT through the local National Forest, Incident Command Team, or other federal land manager. Requests are vetted by the National CMAT Lead based on enabling conditions, need and likelihood of success.

To order a CMAT, please coordinate with your partners to complete this request form. Upon completion, please submit to the National CMAT Lead, Jonathan Bruno and Forest Service CMAT Coordinator, Sheryl Page.

 
Join us on March 3 to learn about CMAT and how it can benefit your community. Our team of experts will discuss the program and provide information on how to access its resources. The CMATs are available to help your community develop and implement strategic plans, build partnerships, and provide training to enhance wildfire mitigation and preparedness.
 
With the increasing threat of wildfires, it is essential that communities take proactive steps to mitigate risk and build resilience. By partnering with CMATs, you can take advantage of the support and resources to realize a more fire-adapted future.
To learn more about the program, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/cmat.
 

Want to be a CMAT Member?

  • Team members are highly proficient wildland urban interface mitigation specialists with extensive experience in community mitigation best practices and skills in analytical thinking, problem solving, wildfire behavior, collaboration, communication, and teamwork. Must be familiar with incident command.
  • Assignments are usually 7-14 days/12-14 hour days; laptops, cell phones, and personal credit cards are required (expenses are reimbursed).
  • Team members are ordered through ROSS following interagency incident business management practices and are paid based on ROSS status (agency employee, AD, or cooperator/partnership agreement) and reimbursed for travel and per diem per policy.
  • Team members report to the team lead who functions as the liaison with the local Forest and community.

Additional Resources