Proposals to streamline federal wildfire services leave the two main firefighting agencies separate, according to documents released Sept. 15.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins each announced their agencies’ response to a White House executive order with multi-page descriptions of how they plan to reform wildland fire response. Those include combining oversight of aviation services and fire research, eliminating regulatory barriers to the use of fire retardant, and standardizing job and pay levels.

“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness,” Rollins said in a press release. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire res

See Full Page