Heather Earnest

Heather Earnest, operating as CTC Fire, is a woman-owned small business based in Terrebonne, Oregon, specializing in providing wildland fire suppression resources and services to federal agencies. Registered in SAM.gov since March 2020, the sole proprietorship has established itself as a critical vendor for emergency response and fire management operations, particularly within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Region. The business leverages expertise in heavy equipment deployment, personnel support, and specialized wildland fire operations to supplement governmental firefighting capabilities during peak fire seasons and emergency incidents.

CTC Fire has been awarded multiple federal delivery orders primarily from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), focusing on providing wildland fire suppression resources. These delivery orders, valued between $20,000 and $145,000, have included critical services such as supplying heavy equipment, water handling capabilities, and trained personnel for fire response efforts in Oregon. The contracts are consistently structured as firm fixed-price delivery orders and are not set aside for specific small business categories, indicating CTC Fire's competitive positioning in the market. The company has demonstrated a track record of successfully executing contracts that involve rapid deployment of equipment and personnel to support fire management and all-hazard incident response.

CTC Fire holds five Indefinite Delivery Contracts (IDCs) with the USDA Forest Service, each with a ceiling value of $250,000 and structured as Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) through the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) system. These IDCs are predominantly set aside for total small business participation and cover geographic regions 3, 5, and 6, with performance periods ranging from 2024 to 2030. The contracts enable CTC Fire to provide miscellaneous heavy equipment, including dozers and excavators, for wildland fire suppression, all-hazard incident response, and prescribed project work. The National Interagency Fire Center serves as the primary funding agency for these contracts, which allow for optional use by other federal agencies and emphasize rapid, critical equipment and personnel deployment to supplement firefighting capabilities across the Western United States.