Description

Over the last three decades, archaeologists employed by federal land management agencies have become increasingly involved in wildland fire incidents. Roles and responsibilities are poorly identified for fire archaeologists, and guidance is limited to several unpublished federal agency documents. Currently archaeologists serve as 'technical specialists' and no specialized training is available to instruct and qualify individuals to serve as 'fire archaeologists.' This article outlines the roles and responsibilities of fire archaeologists and provides informational resources that may assist archaeologists in understanding and effectively working on wildland fire incidents. We hope that a greater recognition of fire archaeology may result in specialized training or classes related to the subject.