Santa Fe, N.M., Firefighter Appointed to Federal Panel

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(TNS) — Nathan Miller, wildland fire superintendent with the City of Santa Fe Fire Department, has been appointed to the federal government’s new Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.

“I’m proud to represent New Mexico and Santa Fe to see how we can better our programs locally and federally and make everything work the best it can,” Miller said.

The U.S. Interior and Agriculture department secretaries and the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator chair the group.

Nonfederal members include tribal leaders, state foresters and fire scientists.

In a news release announcing the appointments, the agencies said the group would recommend ways to prevent, fight and manage wildfires and restore fire-damaged landscapes.

The federal infrastructure law Congress passed last year established the commission.

“Its creation comes at an important time as shifting development patterns, land and fire management decisions, and climate change have turned fire ‘seasons’ into fire ‘years’ in which increasingly destructive fires are exceeding available federal firefighting resources,” the release said.

Miller worked with the Bernalillo County Fire Department for 16 years before joining the Santa Fe team last year.

He can’t recall ever seeing a fire season quite like this one.

The two largest fires in New Mexico history have burned across more than 600,000 acres.

An early April fire season start required Santa Fe crews to help fight the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak blaze.

Miller’s team helped protect homes and maintain the fire line near Las Vegas and Pecos Canyon.

Crews have faced brutal conditions of dry fuels and wind gusts exceeding 60 mph.

“We haven’t ever seen fire growth like that, and it did strain our resources,” Miller said.

The firefighter is eager to discuss initiatives that work well for communities in fire-prone landscapes.

Santa Fe has a program to evaluate homes and properties for fire risk.

“Then we’ll actually go out and perform some of the work on their property to reduce fuel loading to make it more fire safe,” Miller said.

The commission could also examine issues like firefighter pay and how to boost staff and resources for fire prevention.

“On the federal and the private side of firefighting, we should be paying comparable rates for what these people are going out and doing,” Miller said.