Lone Peak Conservation Center (LPCC) is a State of Utah fire management program within the Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands – Division of Natural Resources. The center’s name “Lone Peak” refers to the wilderness area and mountain peak east of our offices in the heart of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Our base of operation is Draper, Utah in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley.
LPCC was initially formed in 1978 to provide outside rehabilitative work for inmates at the Utah State Prison and to meet forestry and fire control statutory responsibilities. Funding constraints, new standards for security, and additional levels of certification for worker safety required a shift away from an inmate workforce.
In 2000, LPCC expanded its professional fire management service, by organizing several state agency fire crews and created a college internship for wildland firefighters. This new strategy complimented the National Fire Plan’s efforts to reduce fire hazards in the wildland urban interface and improve forest health through the Healthy Forests Initiative.
Today, LPCC hires more than 100 employees to fight wildfires, reduce hazards to communities at risk of fire, and improve forest health. Crews include the Lone Peak Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), Alta IHC, Twin Peaks Initial Attack Crew, Dromedary Peak Fuels Crew, and the Lone Peak Engines.
Natural resource and fire management projects are an integral part of LPCC. All crews are expected to complete project assignments when not engaged in fire suppression. Crews set up field camps for up to 8 days. Camps can be remote and provide only primitive living conditions. Project work is scheduled for each crew particularly during the shoulder months of the fire season (spring and fall) providing the best opportunities for this type of work. Fire crews must take all of their fire equipment to these camps and remain “on call” for any fire assignment. Fitness and a healthy diet are important during the off-season and mandatory during the fire season. Crew members are encouraged to keep up a regimented fitness program during the winter months. The wildland firefighter profession attracts individuals that enjoy testing their endurance and a fondness for out of door activities.
Lone Peak also provides a firefighter internship program with Utah Valley University (UVU) to teach and employ students enrolled at UVU’s Fire and Rescue Academy. Students can earn up to 15 college credit hours during the summer when enrolled and assigned to any of our program resources. This engaging learning opportunity applies the UVU classroom fundamentals to the front lines of wildland firefighting.
Another unique aspect about LPCC is we sponsor two IHC’s. These two specialized crews are highly skilled resources that are listed in the National Mobilization Guide. These crews represent a small portion of the federally dominated hotshot community.