CIMT

A Complex Incident Management Team is on the fire: the biggest organized-team signal there is. Solid fill means it's confirmed on the national team roster.

For contractors: Tents, lighting, base camp support, catering, tenders, and hauling orders typically progress through the system before hitting the official NIFC report. Knowing early is how you staff ahead of the call.

T3 Team

A Type 3 team has organized local command on the fire. It's an earlier signal than a CIMT: worth watching, not yet the biggest one.

For contractors: Order volume runs smaller and more local than a CIMT fire, but this is often the first real signal before a bigger team shows up. Expect light, local equipment orders.

T3 IC

A Type 3 Incident Commander is running the fire, one step earlier than a full T3 Team.

For contractors: An early signal. This is the fire to watch next.

Wind-down

The team on this fire is demobilizing.

For contractors: Surplus equipment may release soon. Plan your demob and update your plans around available inventory.

New fire

This fire broke within about a day of a team arriving — it moved fast.

State agency chips

These tell you who's protecting the fire when it isn't a federal team.

For contractors: Cal Fire runs its own fires start to finish. Expect heavy equipment orders; camp support stays light until a State Type 1 or 2 IMT takes command. Don't get fooled by the large head count — that's Cal Fire's M.O. Oregon ODF and most other state agencies self-manage the same way; ODF orders equipment off the state roster and VIPR (Virtual Incident Procurement, the federal preseason contracting system). Idaho DL (the Idaho Department of Lands) fires often escalate to a federal team beyond initial attack, worth watching if you see one.

Reported

One source has it — usually the team roster or federal incident data.

Reported — single source

Same as above, spelled out: one source, not yet cross-checked.

Confirmed — multi-source

Two independent sources agree, so we're more confident it's right.

Sources diverge

Our sources disagree with each other. We tell you when that happens instead of picking one and hiding the conflict.

Risk level (LOW to EXTREME)

Every briefing carries a lightning fire risk read. On quiet days it is one line. When risk runs HIGH or EXTREME, the whole section moves to the top of your briefing: the placement itself is the signal.

For contractors: A HIGH day is tomorrow's fire list forming. Check the zones against where your equipment sits.

Tier 1: Extreme Ignition Risk

The zones where new fires are most likely to start: lightning coming down on fuels dry enough to take it.

For contractors: This is where the next team call-outs tend to come from.

Escalating Conditions, 7-day trend

Zones where high risk persists or builds across the coming week, with dates.

For contractors: Position ahead. A zone that stays high all week is where staging pays.

We pull from federal incident data, the national team roster, and the NIFC situation report — the same official sources everyone else eventually reads. The difference is timing: we publish as soon as a source moves, and show our receipts when the official record catches up.

Preparedness Level, on a national 1–5 scale set by the fire community. PL 5 is the highest level — it means most of the country's firefighting resources are already committed. When you see it in the briefing, expect competition for equipment and crews to be tight.

If you supply base camp equipment, catering, tenders, dozers, or hauling, the team roster is your best leading indicator. It tells you which fires are about to place large orders, days before the official report says a word. Watch for a team moving onto a fire near you. We'll let you know before the official record makes it common knowledge.

CIMT Egypt (OR-MAF · Harney Co.) SA 2 (Complex team) mobilized Jul 17, per the national team roster, while federal incident data still listed a Type 3 IC.

REPORTED

Anthony (OR) Northwest Team 13 · reported here Jul 16, confirmed +1 day later.

CONFIRMED BY THE OFFICIAL RECORD