Forest head claims reduction of 5,000 workers won't affect fire season management; several federal firefighters hold contrasting opinions

U.S. Forest Service Struggles with Staffing Shortages Ahead of Fire Season

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is facing challenges as it prepares for the upcoming fire season, with a shortage of staff members and critical personnel. Steve Guitierrez, a long-time federal firefighter, and Bobbie Scopa, a former USFS operations section chief, have expressed concern about the readiness for the fire season.

According to Guitierrez, the agency was already low on numbers to begin with. This staffing shortage is not limited to firefighters, as support personnel have also left the agency in large numbers. Scopa and Guitierrez are long-time federal firefighters who now advocate for their colleagues.

The people necessary for the support personnel of the USFS firefighting teams, who have left in large numbers recently, are typically logistics coordinators, equipment operators, incident management specialists, and administrative staff. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz acknowledges a reduction of 4,800 employees through extended leave and early retirements.

Between 600 and 700 employees have been reassigned to move laterally to serve in critical areas. However, some newer hires who were originally fired in their probationary periods opted not to return when a court ordered the Agriculture Department to rehire them. Firefighters who left through the deferred resignation program were exempt from the offers.

Efforts are being made to bring back some of the employees and shift others to fill critical positions. Scopa, who now advocates through her organization Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, noted that recalling employees who took deferred resignations could face challenges. They will need to renew trainings, complete physical fitness tests, and take other steps to prepare for fire season.

The capacity of USFS to handle fires later this summer may be stretched thin due to multiple firefighters expressing concerns. U.S. Forest Service currently has 11,000 firefighters, slightly less than the 11,900 employed last fire season. A USFS firefighter expressed concern about the loss of institutional knowledge and skilled personnel.

Schultz has incentivized employees to leave through a deferred resignation program and other separation perks. However, USFS employees previously warned that new layers of review have resulted in contract renewals taking as long as six weeks, compared to minutes previously. This could potentially hamper the agency's ability to respond quickly to fires.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that staff that typically aid in preparing employees for fire season are often deployed to fires or otherwise unavailable to provide that assistance. Scopa noted that insufficient staff could prevent fire personnel from carrying out their duties effectively.

In light of these challenges, Guitierrez expressed skepticism about Chief Tom Schultz's plans to fully staff USFS for the fire season. The concerns raised by firefighters and advocates underscore the need for the USFS to address its staffing issues promptly to ensure the safety and effectiveness of its firefighting efforts.