The Associated Press interviewed Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Tom Tidwell and reported that there will be 500 fewer wildland firefighters working for the agency this year. Here is an excerpt from the article:

The agency, which is trying to absorb a 5 percent cut in its preparedness funding due to sequestration, plans to preposition firefighters and other resources in areas where fire activity is expected to be above normal.

The funding cut will mean about 500 fewer fighters and 50 fewer engines with crews. The agency will also have to rely more on aircraft that are not on contract with the federal government, and Tidwell said that could ultimately lead to higher firefighting costs.

“We will respond like we always have, whatever it takes for us to be prepared,” he said.

By “aircraft that are not on contract with the federal government”, Chief Tidwell probably is referring to borrowing again from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre or the state of Alaska some of their CV-580 air tankers — as long as they are not needed in Alaska or Canada. The CV-580 holds a maximum of 2,100 gallons and are modified Convair CV-340 or CV-440 aircraft manufactured between 1947 and 1954 which have had the piston engines replaced by turbo-props.

It has been 1 year, 3 months, and 13 days since the U.S. Forest Service issued their solicitation for next-generation air tankers, but no contracts have been awarded. The federal contracts for all large and very large air tankers expired December 31, 2013. Some of the expired contracts have been temporarily extended for a few months.

Thanks go out to Rick