The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is maintaining a National Preparedness Level (PL) of 2 as of mid-May 2026, reflecting a fire environment that is active but has not yet stretched the nation's firefighting resources to their limits. Fire managers across the interagency system are using this period to aggressively pre-position resources, hire and train seasonal firefighters, and ensure air assets and incident management teams are ready to respond quickly as fire activity is expected to escalate across the West this summer.
What National Preparedness Level 2 Means
The National Preparedness Level is a five-point scale used by NIFC to describe the overall demand on national firefighting resources relative to available capacity. At PL 2, resource demand is elevated but manageable, and most requests from incident commanders can be filled within standard timeframes. Currently, 16 large fires are burning nationwide, and approximately 2,000 personnel are assigned to active incidents — significant numbers for mid-May, when many regions have not yet entered peak fire season.
Early Season Pace Above Average
With 26,568 fires burning more than 1.9 million acres as of May 15 — well above the ten-year average for this point in the calendar — fire managers are watching the seasonal trajectory closely. The NIFC outlook released May 1 projects above-normal significant fire potential for large portions of the West beginning in June and July, with the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Northern Rockies all flagged as areas of elevated concern.
Resources Being Deployed
One Complex Incident Management Team is currently supporting active response efforts. Air tanker bases across the West are staffed and equipped, and Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams have completed spring qualification exercises and stand ready for national mobilization. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) meets daily to assess resource needs and coordinate sharing agreements across geographic areas.
In addition to federal resources, international firefighting agreements with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand provide supplemental capacity when domestic resources are stretched — a scenario that occurred multiple times in recent fire years. Resource sharing is already active in parts of the Upper Midwest, where Ontario and Manitoba crews have deployed to assist with Minnesota fire response.
Seasonal Hiring in Full Swing
Federal agencies are working to fill seasonal firefighter positions ahead of peak demand. Grassroots Wildland Firefighters president Riva Duncan noted that fire personnel are increasingly working year-round rather than seasonally, with fewer off-season recovery opportunities. "There's no rest for hotshots and fire personnel across the country," Duncan said. "They continue to work year-round with fewer resources."
Members of the public are encouraged to monitor the NIFC National Preparedness Level and situation reports at nifc.gov for the latest on national resource availability and fire activity.