About

IdahoFire.org is a new project by Zeb Palmer dedicated to news and commentary on Idaho Fires. In the short term, this site will host a regular newsletter for those wanting to follow my fire content. I've been posting fire news and commentary on social media for years – I'll still do that, but most of my content will be here first and foremost, with shorter updates and comments on the various social platforms. In the longer term, I've got some interesting ideas and would love to build a solid community and educational resources for wider audiences.

Newsletter

The newsletter will be launching soon, so go ahead and sign up. During major outbreaks, you may see daily email updates, but for the rest of the season, expect two, maybe three a week, perhaps one per month in the off-season. My content is free and ad-free; you can unsubscribe anytime.

Why?

Many of my social media followers know I worked in Fire in the Dark Ages (mid-late 90s) – I built one of the first Wildland Fire information websites for the USFS during the primordial days of the Internet. In addition to building the site, I created a lot of the content (especially fire photography) and juggled content from fire managers, fire crews, and public information officers. Did I mention that I was a freshman in High School when I started? yeah, crazy.

I eventually left web development and moved fully into telecommunications, working more often in the field. I got married and realized spending all summer away from home sleeping on a football field wasn't what I was looking for. A bit later, I did a short stint with the USFS WO (Forest Service Headquarters Washington Office), then left the USFS for good. My Red Card (Wildland Firefighter & Communications Technician) has long since faded, but I'm still a student of wildland fire in those years and the years since, I've learned so much from the fire behavior scientists, fire management officers, type one ICs, heli-rappelers, pilots, lookouts and others I've known as friends. This fascination of wildland fire, and it's impact on our communities means every summer I dive into the data and the stories coming out of Idaho Fires. Many years ago, I started answering a few questions and posting commentary, which grew into a following that seemed to converge on my social media profile each summer.

My Content

I see my content as filling a gap. Fire Information personnel are limited to reporting facts – that's understandable of course. NEWS agencies only report facts they get from the Public Information Officer or relay eyewitness reports. Some fire chasers will post (amazing) videos on Instagram and YouTube – but very few people provide fire commentary, and fewer still work to educate the people. The last two points are where I get the most positive feedback and are what drives me to do what I've done for years on social media and now here.