A federal hiring freeze implemented by the Trump administration has halted the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters, raising concerns about weakened response capabilities as wildfire season approaches. Despite the freeze not explicitly applying to public safety positions, federal firefighters are reportedly affected, leaving agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service facing potential staffing shortages.
Crews helped battle the deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires, and now some worry a shortfall will weaken response capabilities as fire season approaches.The Trump administration’s federal hiring freeze has stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters, including those who work for agencies called on to help battle the Even though President Donald Trump’s Jan.
The agency “was already in the middle of hiring their summer workforce when the federal hiring freeze came down,” a federal hiring manager in Utah told NBC affiliate Hiring federal firefighters is a lengthy process because of federal background checks, and any delay in the process raises concerns about an understaffed federal firefighting force, especially in the aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County, which killed at least 29 people and destroyed or damaged more than 18,000 structures, wiping out entire neighborhoods.
NBC News witnessed U.S. Forest Service firefighters respond to the Palisades Fire, and they also battled the Eaton Fire in Angeles National Forest, where they deployed five large air tankers, 10 firefighting helicopters and dozens of fire engines, according to the publication“At this time, there are no exceptions to the hiring freeze with respect to the Department,” he wrote.
The Forest Service said in a statement that it is “actively working with OPM on its wildland firefighting positions,” referring to the White House Office of Personnel Management.
Disaster Emergency Management WILDFIRE FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE FIRE FIGHTERS SEASONAL WORKERS EMERGENCY RESPONSE
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