Outback Firefighting, Inc.

Outback Firefighting, Inc., a small business subchapter S corporation based in Stevensville, Montana, operates as a prime contractor supplying wildland firefighting equipment and trained personnel to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and cooperating federal agencies across all 50 states. The company competes predominantly under total small business set-aside designations on its parent Indefinite Delivery Contracts, though individual task orders frequently carry no set-aside designation; this mix reflects the VIPR (Virtual Incident Procurement) system's rapid-response architecture, where pre-awarded IDCs designated as set-asides permit unrestricted competition at the task-order level to accelerate emergency resource deployment.

Outback Firefighting's federal footprint is concentrated almost entirely within Forest Service regional operations. The National Interagency Fire Center accounts for $17.7 million across 110 awards, anchored by ten parent IDCs valued at $250,000 each—all designated total small business set-asides—covering water handling, weed washing units, potable and gray water trucks with handwashing stations, mobile communications units, and helicopter operations support across multiple regions with completion dates extending through 2030. The Forest Service Northern Region (R1) follows with $9.1 million across 212 awards; the Intermountain Region (R4) with $7.5 million across 143 awards; the Pacific Southwest Region (R5) with $3.8 million across 59 awards; and the Southwestern Region (R3) with $3.5 million across 78 awards. These five customer concentrations represent 74% of combined potential value and 68% of award count, signaling deep market concentration in federal wildfire suppression infrastructure.

Outback Firefighting's capability portfolio, grounded in recent task-order awards, centers on specialized wildland firefighting equipment rental and trained personnel deployment. The company supplies water trucks (potable and gray water variants with handwashing stations), Type 1–6 fire engines, utility terrain vehicles, weed washing units, generators, temporary shelter systems (Type 2–4 tents), mobile communications units, and trained firefighting crews capable of 16-hour operational shifts. Representative contracts illustrate the pattern: a $495,839 total small business set-aside delivery order (Region 5, July 2025) for water handling resources under VIPR; a $378,801 purchase order (Region 4, August 2025) for audio/visual equipment rental and tent deployment; and a $462,127 delivery order (Region 5, August 2025) for wildfire suppression equipment and personnel. Individual delivery order values range from approximately $4,700 to $662,000, with task orders typically carrying completion dates of 7–90 days, reflecting emergency dispatch urgency.

Vehicle positioning shows Outback Firefighting holding ten active parent Indefinite Delivery Contracts, all awarded February 6, 2026, through the VIPR system administered by the National Interagency Fire Center on behalf of the Forest Service. These contracts—each valued at $250,000, designated total small business set-asides, firm fixed price, and extending 3–4 years—cover: water handling for Regions 3, 5, 6, and East Zone (Regions 1, 2, 4, 9); weed washing units for East Zone and Regions 3, 5, 6; potable and gray water trucks with handwashing stations for Regions 5 and East Zone; mobile communications units for national coverage; and helicopter operations support for national coverage. The top parent vehicle by task-order volume is IDC 1202RZ24T0113 with 81 task orders totaling $1.2 million; IDC 1202SB22T7470 follows with 76 task orders and $4.2 million.

Activity has accelerated significantly: 105 awards in 2022, declining to 52 in 2023, then rising to 166 in 2024 and 117 in 2025. Year-to-date 2026 shows 39 awards (partial year). Combined potential value across all 900 awards is $56 million, with $34.5 million obligated (61% draw). The vendor operates as a 100% prime contractor with no subcontractor footprint; all work is performed in-house by the company.

Award taxonomy concentration underscores Outback Firefighting's specialization: 637 of 900 awards fall under NAICS 561730 (Support Activities for Forestry), 96 under truck and utility trailer rental, 50 under consumer goods rental. PSC coding shows 732 awards coded to Natural Resources/Conservation–Forest-Range Fire Suppression/Presuppression, 92 to ground effect vehicle and motor vehicle leasing, reflecting the equipment-rental nature of wildfire suppression logistics.

The source does not identify any corporate parent, subsidiary relationships, or ownership designations beyond the Subchapter S status and small business classification. Outback Firefighting competes as a standalone small business entity across all work; the absence of any subcontractor awards and the 100% prime split indicate vertical integration of equipment ownership, personnel, and dispatch operations.

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