Heading into the hottest and driest months of the wildfire season, the Department of Interior is short hundreds of firefighters. The Times found that the agency has about 500 fewer firefighters than expected—a roughly 10% shortfall.
Heading into the hottest and driest months of the wildfire season, the Department of the Interior is short hundreds of firefighters, a result of recruitment problems and the longest federal government shutdown in history.
This year’s shortfall appears to stem, in part, from the Interior Department’s struggle to hire seasonal firefighters across its bureaus in the aftermath of the shutdown . These employees, who are brought on for several months each summer to bolster the agency’s forces during peak fire season, are typically hired in January and trained over the spring. By the start of the wildfire season, the hiring window has closed.The agency, however, did not meet its expectations.
It’s unclear whether the Forest Service, which boasts an annual firefighting workforce of more than 10,000, is also understaffed. Christine Schuldheisz, a Forest Service spokeswoman, said the number of temporary firefighters hired for the summer was not available.Wildfire experts said a staffing shortfall in one federal agency affects the other because it shrinks the pool of people who can be dispatched to these disasters.
Last winter, the federal government was shut down for a record 35 days, interfering with the agency’s usual preparations. Agency documents show that months after the government reopened on Jan. 26, officials were still trying to catch up. Yet in the same memo, agency officials expressed confidence they would be able to make up the lost time.
The park’s position of deputy chief of wildland fire has been open for more than a year and is being filled with a temporary replacement. There are openings for a fire ecologist, a prescribed fire specialist, a helicopter aviation manager and a handful of supervisory positions.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sister's Delivery Room Selfie Is Peak SiblingWoman hilariously snaps selfie of her sister during labor
Read more »
Trump Is Achieving Peak PolarizationYou either love him or hate him, and fact that the in-between is vanishing carries implications for 2020.
Read more »
'The Billboard Has Become King in FYC': Emmy Campaigners Jostle for Limited Space in Peak TV EraAn increasingly crowded field has created inventory shortfalls as ad revenue spikes and 'awards season' goes year-round.
Read more »
OxyContin’s Sackler Family Will Get Millions From A Ski Resort Operator’s SaleThe largest shareholder in Peak Resorts, the Sackler family, will get a cash windfall from the sale of the ski area operator to Vail Resorts by AngelAuYeung
Read more »
Fancy and Beautiful Tomato Salad RecipeHere’s the first thing you should make when you want to show off the peak-season tomatoes you’ve been waiting all year for.
Read more »
Stubborn fire destroys 99 Cents Only store in Culver City, prompting large response from firefightersA stubborn fire burned through a 99 Cents Only store in Culver City early Monday, causing the roof of the business to collapse and closing streets as firefighters battled the massive blaze.
Read more »