Media availability: NOAA incident meteorologists train for wildfire season

<div class="c-field c-field--name-title c-field--type-string c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item">Media availability: NOAA incident meteorologists train for wildfire season</div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-subtitle c-field--type-string-long c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item">Continuity of Excellence Exercise strengthens forecasters skills, readiness to keep fire crews safe<br /> </div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-publication-date c-field--type-datetime c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"><time datetime="2026-02-12T12:00:00Z">February 12, 2026</time> </div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-image c-field--type-entity-reference c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"><figure> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-media-image c-field--type-image c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"> <img alt="NOAA IMETs Jeff Tonkin and Rebecca Muessle discuss their aviation forecast and briefing outside at the helicopter base of the Six Rivers Lightning Fire in Northern California on August 22, 2022. " height="717" src="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/2026-02/TraineeIMET.JPG?h=b41a8a8a&amp;itok=yF4zP3S-" title="NOAA IMETs Jeff Tonkin and Rebecca Muessle discuss their aviation forecast and briefing outside at the helicopter base of the Six Rivers Lightning Fire in Northern California on August 22, 2022. (Image credit: Robert Hyatt/NOAA National Weather Service)" width="1275" /> </div></div></div> <figcaption> <div> <div class="caption-credit"> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-file-caption-formatted c-field--type-text-long c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"> <p>NOAA IMETs Jeff Tonkin and Rebecca Muessle discuss their aviation forecast and briefing at the helicopter base of the Six Rivers Lightning Fire in Northern California on August 22, 2022.&nbsp; <span class="credit">(Image credit: Robert Hyatt/NOAA National Weather Service)</span></p> </div></div></div> </div> <div class="image-download"><a class="image-download-link" href="https://www.noaa.gov/media/image_download/13b01953-bf08-4998-9728-548edf53f90c">Download Image</a></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-body c-field--type-entity-reference-revisions c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__items"><div class="c-field__item"> <section class="l-section paragraph paragraph--type-rich-text paragraph--display-mode-default paragraph--width-body-indent-none"> <div class="l-section__content"> <div id="paragraph-id-48300"> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-body-formatted-long c-field--type-text-long c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"> <p dir="ltr">NOAA’s National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) will gather in Boise, Idaho, February 23-27 to complete specialized, intensive training to help keep fire crews and first responders safe during wildfire incidents this year. Media are invited to interview and observe NOAA IMETs training to deliver fire weather forecasts and impact based decision support, as well as meet NOAA experts and fire behavior analysts from state and federal partner agencies.</p><h4>WHAT</h4><p dir="ltr">NOAA IMET&nbsp;Continuity of Excellence training for&nbsp;54 meteorologists to prepare them to deliver fire weather forecasts, fire behavior guidance and briefings to wildland fire personnel at a wildfire incident command post.&nbsp;</p><h4>WHEN</h4><p dir="ltr">Monday, February 23, 2026; 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. MT</p><h4>WHERE</h4><p dir="ltr">Best Western Vista Inn Conference Center&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">2645 W Airport Way, Boise, ID, (just outside the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) front gate)</p><p dir="ltr">Please check in at the Vista Inn Conference Center with Kari Fleegel.&nbsp;Parking is available behind the Best Western.</p><h4>REGISTRATION</h4><p dir="ltr">Reporters must register to attend by 5 p.m. MT Friday, February 20 by contacting Kari Fleegel,&nbsp;<a href="mailto:kari.fleegel@noaa.gov">kari.fleegel@noaa.gov</a>.</p><h4>VISUALS</h4><p dir="ltr">NOAA IMETs and trainees participate in simulated exercises, set up and activate remote weather stations, develop a spot weather forecast and deliver a fire weather briefing. There will be computer instruction on interpreting output from computer models and other forecasting tools.</p><h4>RESOURCES</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">NOAA has 96 certified&nbsp;<a class=" ext-link-after" href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9776f645cb284d5296509400cd091911" target="_blank">IMETs and 27 trainees<span class="visually-hidden"> offsite link</span></a> ready for deployment. NOAA IMETs completed 141 missions deployed to wildfires in 2025.</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfire">Portal: NOAA and wildfire</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/multimedia/photos-images/photo-story-fighting-fire-with-forecasts">Photo story: Fighting fire with forecasts</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-advisory/wildfire-season-and-fire-weather-media-resource-guide">For reporters: A resource guide for covering wildfires</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.nifc.gov/about-us">National Interagency Fire Center</a></li><li dir="ltr">Follow the IMETS on X&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/nws_imet_ops?lang=en">@NWS_IMET_OPS</a></li></ul> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </section> </div></div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-media-contact c-field--type-text-long c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item"> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>Media contact</p><p dir="ltr">NOAA National Weather Service Public Affairs team at <a href="mailto:nws.pa@noaa.gov">nws.pa@noaa.gov</a></p> </div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-updates c-field--type-entity-reference-revisions c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__items"><div class="c-field__item"></div></div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-node-focus-area c-field--type-entity-reference c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__items"><div class="c-field__item"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/weather">Weather</a> </div></div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-tags c-field--type-entity-reference c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__items"><div class="c-field__item"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/topic-tags/wildfires">wildfires</a> </div><div class="c-field__item"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/topic-tags/forecasting">forecasting</a> </div><div class="c-field__item"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/topic-tags/fire-weather">fire weather</a> </div></div></div></div> <div class="c-field c-field--name-field-sidebar-next-to-intro c-field--type-boolean c-field--label-hidden"> <div class="c-field__content"><div class="c-field__item">0</div></div></div>