The United States Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture announced the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a consolidation of all federal wildland fire agencies under the Interior.
The new service will be established by January 2026, according to a press release sent from the Department of the Interior on Monday. The press release detailed numerous wildland fire consolidation efforts throughout the federal government, including:
- Creating a joint federal firefighting aircraft service
- Standardizing the Emergency Firefighter Program
- Establishing a joint contracting, procurement, and payment center
- Building a government-wide Wildfire Enterprise IT System
- Developing a unified wildfire risk mapping tool
The departments also said they will begin shifting away from “outdated systems and fragmented response” that have hindered previous wildfire efforts.
“For too long, outdated and fragmented systems have slowed our ability to fight fires and protect lives. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in the press release. “By streamlining federal capabilities and strengthening our partnerships with state, tribal and local teams, we will deliver the common-sense reforms needed to safeguard our communities, our lands and our future.”
The announcement is a continuation of President Donald Trump’s executive order in June, which directed the departments and all agencies represented by the National Interagency Fire Center to enhance their wildland firefighting capabilities at the state and local levels, including through the use of artificial intelligence, data sharing, and mapping capabilities.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump orders US to ‘consolidate’ wildfire programs
“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness. We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come,” Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said. “Secretary Burgum and I are committed to leading a bold transformation of the federal wildfire system to help our communities, neighbors, and partners better prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfires.”
13 Comments
This had been referred for GAO study and comment. I assume no budgets have changed yet?
This should be the most entertaining thing ever…..
Two complete fools, burgum and rollins having zero experience of what it takes to make an organization work, let alone one that is as complex as fire and expect this perfect outcome.
Mismanagement is the key word of this administration.
Only thing I get out of that is more logging…..
Anything going to go to upping the pay of support workers (dispatch, cache managers) etc. Anything going to improve the morale and retention of seasonals and FT firefighters.
Anything being done over the lack of middle management and upper management? Or, just keep lowering the standards to make unqualified people magically qualified
Make it make sense
Don’t forget the fire lookouts! Maybe with this new reorganization, we’ll be included again as part of Fire.
Bout F’n time! This was talked about when I started in 2002. It always baffled me how all the fed agencies did things so differently. Hopefully this helps the folks on the ground too.
Yep even as far back as 1992
Coordination can always be improved, especially with as many agencies involved as they are. That however, is why NIFC exists. Interagency resources have been effectively pooled there for decades.
Look at the 2020 CA Creek Fire and 2025 CA Garnet Fire and try and tell me that the current system works. The objective of fire fighting is to put the fire out, or is it?
So, if understand the press release correctly, there will be some streamlining of some back-room functions and processes but the land management agencies retain their fire hazard management and suppression assets?
This stuff should routinely be addressed through any decent continuous-improvement process. So, apart from a bold press-release and possibly some renewed enthusiasm in reviews and committee meetings, what will the new federal USWFS actually consist of?
I honestly don’t know if this will be a good thing or a bad thing. But what I do know for sure is that this cannot (and should not) be done quickly.
As A S says…….this “ain’t” a one n done deal thinking it’s a 5 year project…….more like 15-20 for full install
Anyone remember the National Biological Service? Most don’t, and here’s why: it was a new DOI agency created by secretarial order in 1993, from functions in USFWS, NPS, and USGS. It was supposed to do a better job monitoring the nations biological resources then the bureaus did separately – you know, stop turf battles, be more efficient, and make one coordinated whole. Since it takes congress to create a new agency (neither the secretary nor the president have that constitutional authority), and NBS didn’t have adequate congressional support, the new agency ceased to exist in 1996, and it’s functions where absorbed by USGS. Maybe this is a lesson regarding the longevity of agencies created by secretaries. Another lesson: what happened to the people – and their lives – who were pulled from NPS and USFWS into NBS, then three years layer into USGS? Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Follow the money … the funding for the US Wildland Fire Service is in the Presidents FY2026 budget request. The FY 2026 budget has not yet been considered by Congress. The President’s Budget request is for $3.7B to get the consolidation going. …”U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) $3.7B consolidates all wildland fire bureau services from the BIA, BLM, FWS and NPS and the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The allocation also provides for permanent pay increase for U.S. Federal and Tribal wildland firefighters nationwide including temporary and seasonal employees and for the new incident response premium pay for all responders.”
The Continuing Appropriations Act just passed by the house [HR5371 / not yet passed by the Senate] kicks the 2025 budget can down the road to 21 Nov just to keep the government open. It does not address the FY 2026 budget or any funding for the US Wildland Fire Service … ” “HR5371 Sec. 145. Amounts made available by section 101 for Department of the Interior—Department-Wide Programs—Wildland Fire Management” and “Department of Agriculture—Forest Service—Wildland Fire Management” may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary for wildfire suppression activities.”
The whole thing is up to our Congress. Nothing moves until the FY2026 money moves. Let your senators and representatives know what you think.
Misinformation is the key function of this administration. The premise that the USDA and DOI could not respond to wildland fire is not backed up by last 125 years of history. It is another Executive lie to the American people to continue their dismantling of the agencies that steward management and conservation of our federal lands. Watch for yet more initiatives to sell off federal lands for development and destroying the conservation efforts of the Teddy Roosevelt administration that set aside those lands for the use of all of the American people, not just the rich developers.
Comments are closed for this article!