I'm not sure I would call this "solidifying"... Doesn't the Legislature still need to create a funding mechanism for this? They can't just smoosh their budgets together and call it the National Wildfire Service.
I'm disheartened to hear the disparaging of local and state firefighting agencies. We're not mismanaged or ill prepared. We're not limited by bureaucracy or regulation. It doesn't seem like this administration understands that "local" fire agencies are fire departments, not a branch of the federal government. Our primary responsibility is extinguishment, after life safety. We never just let things burn. The feds are in charge of their own fire response on federal lands. They have no authority over local or state fire management. Our limitation is funding and resources, both human and apparatus. In the west, water is another limitation. I've never been on a local fire and thought to myself "man, if we could just overcome this regulatory red tape, we could extinguish this thing". Ridiculous!
The fires in LA were not wildfires, it was an urban conflagration. Big difference. It's clear they're missing the big picture on what lead to that disaster, and the problems they faced fighting it.
Oh, and FEMA sent out a memo earlier this year saying that the local and state emergency management organizations should stop relying on the feds for funding or support. If our limitation is funding and resources, and you're further limiting our funding and resources, you're not alleviating the obstacles to effective fire prevention and control, you're making them worse.
Written to look like they’re getting things done (that are already in place,) and incomprehensible as well to anyone who is a local, state, non- federal resource.
And how is this going to come about, sadly, at the same time they want to dismantle FEMA?
Not to mention what happens during the next ecological and fire natural disaster - with the National Guard playing “immigration cop” - when they are truly needed?
Coordination?
Not seeing it.
Should we wait for another empty promise to fall apart due to incompetence?
All Hail the Dear Leader... (And get your loyalty statement ready if you expect continued or new employment.) Short on details - Long on nonsensical ego boosting about "Sending Water to LA" and other such drivel. Executive Orders without the final law/fiscal package is just more blowhard posturing.. Anyone watching this Administration at work and still thinking this is going to END in a well funded, well organized, professionally prioritized Federal Workforce needs to check back in a couple years. (unless you're in homeland security)
A separate, bipartisan plan for better pay, work conditions and even the consolidation towards a USWFS has my support. The remainder of the "Big Beautiful" budget being debated is a disaster for Civil Service and Public Lands... LONG GAME Here ?? - Shrink the total number of Federal WFF - Privatize fire resources and up-stream tax dollars to the tech companies and contractors funding the election campaigns - then put the fire response pressure and funding responsibilities on State and Local agencies to fill the gap.
I also listened to Sen Tim Sheehy's interview. I respect the Senators direct knowledge base and know he has a welcoming platform here on the HSWU.... But, never mentioned is the Senators likely personal motivational need to rescue his financially stressed fire aviation company Bridger Aerospace. Nor his cattle ranch's profit dependence on public lands, laws, & policies. He presents as a 'everyman", but is in truth a Multi-Multi-Multi- Millionaire with deep ties to the Government contracts and substiles he oversees. Many other very shading dealings and personal actions before being elected are also evident. A quick read on Mr Sheehy's Wikipedia page here for anyone interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Sheehy#Early_life
If you read the EO it actually stipulates to the maximum extent possible under the law, to combine into one agency. That will take a law by Congress to create one wildfire agency with a budget to support the resources from both the DOI and USFS. The most i see coming from this is the consolidation of all the DOI bureaus under OWF, but in 90 days I don't even see that becoming a reality.
The language is in the current budget bill. Funding has already been requested by DOI, Forest USDA 2026 budget removed wildfire and noted it’s going to DOI.
That budget bill has to make it through both the House and Senate, so I don't put a lot of faith into any budget bill getting passed in 90 days. We haven't had a budget in Oct. in over a decade.
Plus the fire directors have been working on a new plan with no clear direction on what the EO would direct, so it's likely been nothing more than a table top exercise up to this point.
I'm not sure I would call this "solidifying"... Doesn't the Legislature still need to create a funding mechanism for this? They can't just smoosh their budgets together and call it the National Wildfire Service.
I'm disheartened to hear the disparaging of local and state firefighting agencies. We're not mismanaged or ill prepared. We're not limited by bureaucracy or regulation. It doesn't seem like this administration understands that "local" fire agencies are fire departments, not a branch of the federal government. Our primary responsibility is extinguishment, after life safety. We never just let things burn. The feds are in charge of their own fire response on federal lands. They have no authority over local or state fire management. Our limitation is funding and resources, both human and apparatus. In the west, water is another limitation. I've never been on a local fire and thought to myself "man, if we could just overcome this regulatory red tape, we could extinguish this thing". Ridiculous!
The fires in LA were not wildfires, it was an urban conflagration. Big difference. It's clear they're missing the big picture on what lead to that disaster, and the problems they faced fighting it.
Oh, and FEMA sent out a memo earlier this year saying that the local and state emergency management organizations should stop relying on the feds for funding or support. If our limitation is funding and resources, and you're further limiting our funding and resources, you're not alleviating the obstacles to effective fire prevention and control, you're making them worse.
Right on Niki.
This plan is drivel.
Written to look like they’re getting things done (that are already in place,) and incomprehensible as well to anyone who is a local, state, non- federal resource.
And how is this going to come about, sadly, at the same time they want to dismantle FEMA?
Not to mention what happens during the next ecological and fire natural disaster - with the National Guard playing “immigration cop” - when they are truly needed?
Coordination?
Not seeing it.
Should we wait for another empty promise to fall apart due to incompetence?
Geez.
This video explains why that WUI, in particular, is prone to conflagrations and has special challenges when fighting them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxnC1WW95XE
All Hail the Dear Leader... (And get your loyalty statement ready if you expect continued or new employment.) Short on details - Long on nonsensical ego boosting about "Sending Water to LA" and other such drivel. Executive Orders without the final law/fiscal package is just more blowhard posturing.. Anyone watching this Administration at work and still thinking this is going to END in a well funded, well organized, professionally prioritized Federal Workforce needs to check back in a couple years. (unless you're in homeland security)
A separate, bipartisan plan for better pay, work conditions and even the consolidation towards a USWFS has my support. The remainder of the "Big Beautiful" budget being debated is a disaster for Civil Service and Public Lands... LONG GAME Here ?? - Shrink the total number of Federal WFF - Privatize fire resources and up-stream tax dollars to the tech companies and contractors funding the election campaigns - then put the fire response pressure and funding responsibilities on State and Local agencies to fill the gap.
I also listened to Sen Tim Sheehy's interview. I respect the Senators direct knowledge base and know he has a welcoming platform here on the HSWU.... But, never mentioned is the Senators likely personal motivational need to rescue his financially stressed fire aviation company Bridger Aerospace. Nor his cattle ranch's profit dependence on public lands, laws, & policies. He presents as a 'everyman", but is in truth a Multi-Multi-Multi- Millionaire with deep ties to the Government contracts and substiles he oversees. Many other very shading dealings and personal actions before being elected are also evident. A quick read on Mr Sheehy's Wikipedia page here for anyone interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Sheehy#Early_life
If you read the EO it actually stipulates to the maximum extent possible under the law, to combine into one agency. That will take a law by Congress to create one wildfire agency with a budget to support the resources from both the DOI and USFS. The most i see coming from this is the consolidation of all the DOI bureaus under OWF, but in 90 days I don't even see that becoming a reality.
The language is in the current budget bill. Funding has already been requested by DOI, Forest USDA 2026 budget removed wildfire and noted it’s going to DOI.
The 90 day planning phase started a month ago.
Just need the budget bill to pass.
That budget bill has to make it through both the House and Senate, so I don't put a lot of faith into any budget bill getting passed in 90 days. We haven't had a budget in Oct. in over a decade.
Plus the fire directors have been working on a new plan with no clear direction on what the EO would direct, so it's likely been nothing more than a table top exercise up to this point.
Is this the end of the militia? My ability to pay my fire insurance in California wants to know.