Month: July 2021

It has become common practice in a busy wildfire season f0r high-ranking people in D.C. to write letters to the field directing that red-carded employees, meaning they are qualified to assist on a fire in a specific capacity, be made available to be dispatched to a fire. This has been affectionally called the “Moses Letter.”

In a 2021 version of the letter signed July 14 by Forest Service Chief Victoria Christiansen she said, “We are seeing severe fire behavior that resists control efforts.”

As is the custom in years like this, she directed mission support supervisors to make all “red-carded” personnel available for fire assignments.

The Chief also asked regional and local Certifying Officials to consider granting a one-year certification for employees who hold expired red cards in non-operations and command positions where appropriate. But the request would not override the required medical or physical fitness standards. She also emphasized the “importance of wearing masks in fire camps where vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are coming into contact with one another.” There was no mention of mandatory mask wearing.

Chief Christiansen also announced a significant change, increasing the required 2 days of rest after returning from a 14-day assignment to three days. In addition, “a two-day rest period for those working 14 continuous and extended days in support of local fire management.

 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://wildfiretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021-Wildland-Fire-Priority-Letter.pdf” title=”2021 Wildland Fire Priority Letter”]

 

Here are the dates of some other Moses Letters that we happened to mention on Wildfire today. There are no doubt many others.

• 2020, May 5. BLM Director William Perry Pendley, the employee serving as the effective head of the agency since one was never nominated during that Administration, wrote what we called a preemptive Moses Letter.
• 2015, August 18: Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell distributed the anticipated letter.
• 2008, July 11, from the Forest Service.

In the Bible, Exodus 5:1, the Lord told Moses to tell the Pharaoh to “Let my people go” from bondage in Egypt. This phrase is the title of the one of the most well known African American spirituals of all time.

The video below was filmed at the Christmas concert at the town hall in Puteaux, France December 11, 2016. It begins at 2:44. The traditional words are:

When Israel was in Egypt’s land
Let my people go
Oppress’d so hard they could not stand
Let my people go

Refrain:
Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt’s land
Tell old Pharaoh
Let my people go