Trump (R) is considering a Plan to Overhaul how the Nation Fights Wildfires, by Creating a New Federal Agency that Prioritizes Putting-Out Fires as Quickly as possible, Challenging the idea that the Nation’s long-standing Focus on immediately Extinguishing Fires has made the West more Vulnerable to Larger and more Intense Blazes. A Draft Executive Order under consideration by the White House, calls for Restructuring the Nation’s Firefighting system to Focus on the “immediate suppressing of fires,” including responding to Wildfires within 30 minutes, and Changing Aircraft Regulations to Accelerate Response.
Many Firefighters say there is a need to Reform how the Federal Government Combats the growing Threat of Wildfires, fueled by Warming Temperatures. But the Plan has raised Concerns among State and Federal Officials who say such Changes could Erode Safety Standards for Aircraft that fly on Dangerous Missions, including Curtailing some Inspections and Regulations for Planes that do Aerial Supervision of Tankers that Drop Water or Fire Retardant. They also worry the Plan puts too much emphasis on Putting Out every Fire and Not Enough on other Land Management Techniques, such as Prescribed Burning and Forest Thinning, to Reduce the Chances of Destructive Blazes.
"The draft of the Executive Order, dangerously reduces the safety of our Communities and our Firefighters,” said Dave Upthegrove, Commissioner of Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources. “We need to be preparing for the wildfire season that’s one sunny week away, not responding to a poorly written executive order that will put us all at risk.”
One of the Architects of the Plan is U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT), according to State and Federal Officials familiar with the Proposal. Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who found an Aviation Company, Bridger Aerospace, that’s Contracted with the Forest Service and Interior Department to assist in Firefighting. Sheehy stepped down as Chief Executive last year, but still owns Stock of the Publicly Traded Company.
Sheehy’s Office has Discussed the Proposal with State Officials. Some of the Ideas are similar to Legislation Sheehy has Proposed in the Senate, including creating a New National Wildland Firefighting Force. Officials said there are different Versions of the Draft Circulating. Several Current and Former Wildfire Officials, said they were Concerned about Parts of the Draft that focused on Aviation, including an idea in the Proposal to Eliminate Forest Service Inspections of Wildfire Aircraft already Certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Sheehy has been a Proponent of Scrapping Forest Service Requirements, which He considers Redundant. Earlier this month, He said that such Examinations of Aircraft and Pilot Credentials by the Agency “is a relic of a bygone era and has become an unnecessary barrier to asset availability,” according to a Statement His Office said. Such Aircraft Inspections by the Forest Service emerged after Deadly Crashes in the 1960s and 1970s. “New requirements and rules were put in place to help prevent those tragic accidents, and have generally worked well,” said Steve Ellis, Chair of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees. “Eliminating them will put us back in the era of more fatalities.”
A Federal Firefighter with 10 years in Aerial Firefighting said He Feared any Rollback of Safety Protocol could Hurt the Workforce on the Ground. “A lot of that stuff is in place if there is a crash, or someone dies,” said the Firefighter. There have been Bipartisan Congressional efforts to rethink Fire Management as massive blazes have become more common. After Wildfires destroyed swaths of Los Angeles in January, the House of Representatives passed Legislation that aimed at Beefing up Fire Prediction and Suppression Capabilities and Modernizing Building Codes in Risk-Prone areas.
The Senate Version of the Bill, introduced Thursday by Sheehy and Others, was Cheered by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Joe Tyler. Creating a Federal Agency devoted to Fighting Wildfires is Not a New idea. Advocacy Groups including the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a Non-Profit that Advocates for Active and Retired Federal Wildland Firefighters, have pushed for this for years. Several Wildfire Officials said they Support the Concept of Consolidation and Reform. They say a New Wildl and Firefighting Agency could streamline operations and improve coordination on a task now spread across several federal agencies including the Forest Service, Interior Department, Bureau of Land Management, and others, Agencies that don’t solely focus on Fire.
One Federal Official said they are Concerned that the Part of the Proposal that Cuts Forest Service Inspections of FAA-Certified Wildfire Aircraft means Aviation companies would Not have “to jump through all the hoops.” “But there’s a reason there’s all those hoops,” the Official said. “And the reason is because we crashed a lot of aircraft.”
Paul Petersen, Executive Director of the United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA), an Industry Group, said He provided Input on Parts of the Order, but that it was “really crafted out of the Senate and the White House.” Petersen, a Former Bureau of Land Management Firefighter, said that “nobody wants to go out and have an aviation accident or crash or be unsafe.” But He noted that some Regulations Unnecessarily keep Aircraft on the Ground when they’re needed to Fight Wildfires. He said it was Important to Accelerate Forest Management, including thinning forests and prescribed burns — but in the meantime “you got to fight the fire you have. The entire wildland fire system needs an overhaul,” He said. “Wildland fire is coming to a community near you, whether you like it or not.”
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