Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a joint memo to federal agency leaders with wildfire responsibilities, outlining their vision and goals for managing wildland fires this year. The memo highlights fire management investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and other strategic priorities aimed at reducing wildfire risk, restoring ecosystems, engaging in post-fire recovery, supporting the wildland fire workforce, and making communities more resilient to fire.
“As climate change continues to drive wildfires with increased speed and intensity, we are deploying historic resources from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to better protect communities and ecosystems around the country,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “We will continue to leverage our valuable partnerships with state, Tribal and local governments, and the private sector to address and mitigate wildfire risk while also ensuring that our wildland fire personnel have the support and resources they need to stay safe and be prepared on the landscape.”
“Our wildland firefighters and employees who support forest health have proven time and time again that they can deliver on our efforts to confront the nation’s wildfire crisis,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Whether they are suppressing wildfires or reducing hazardous fuels to lower wildfire risk to communities, they are always there on the frontlines. We need Congress to act now to provide them with the permanent pay fix they need and deserve. We also need Congress to double down by adopting President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and provide us with a budget that provides a permanent pay increase for our wildland firefighters, expands firefighter health and wellbeing, improves work-life balance, and improves housing they can afford in the communities they serve.”
In 2023, the Interior and Agriculture Departments completed a historic 6.85 million acres of hazardous fuels treatments aimed at reducing excessive vegetation that can fuel wildfires. These activities are restoring fire-adapted ecosystems and reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires which pose greater dangers to public health, infrastructure, natural resources, and communities. Increased funding available through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is continuing to support collaborative efforts across public, Tribal, and private lands in 2024.
The Departments aim to employ more than 17,000 wildland fire personnel this year to support communities increasingly impacted by wildfires. They are working together to increase support for these personnel, improve recruitment and retention of talented professionals, make the workforce sustainable into the future, and position the nation to address worsening wildfire conditions due to climate change.
Firefighter pay supplements first introduced by President Biden in 2021 provided significant pay increases for federal and Tribal wildland firefighters for the first time in decades. These increases have been enhanced through temporary pay supplements funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Since 2021, almost 16,000 Forest Service firefighters and nearly 5,600 Interior Department firefighters have received over $560 million in temporary pay supplements from this law. However, without congressional action for a permanent solution by October 2024, firefighter base salaries will revert back—potentially as low as $15 per hour.
Wildland firefighters operate under hazardous conditions that impact their health and wellbeing. The Departments are developing a comprehensive program aimed at understanding both short- and long-term effects on mental and physical health from working in such environments. This program seeks to expand support for mental health services as well as physical readiness amidst occupational hazards.
The Secretaries emphasized incorporating updated National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy into departmental policy for uniformity in wildfire response efforts. This strategy aims at strengthening partnerships across jurisdictions tackling challenges posed by climate change-induced wildfire activity.
Further transformation in approach comes from recommendations by the Wildland Fire Mitigation & Management Commission established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Commission's final report submitted last fall included 148 recommendations focusing on shifting responses from reactive measures towards proactive strategies building sustainable solutions making landscapes more resilient against fires.
Despite two-thirds less area burning across the United States compared with 2022 figures; several devastating fires resulted tragically affecting civilians' lives causing loss of homes/infrastructure/resources damages highlighting an urgent need addressing growing risks projected higher potential areas nationwide throughout remaining months ahead necessitating continued extreme efforts saving lives protecting communities/natural assets against devastating effects caused recurrently each season's peaks looming closer every passing day already witnessed dedicated personnel striving under extreme conditions safeguarding precious human/natural resources alike combating relentless threats posed increasingly aggressive patterns emerging annually further compounded ongoing climatic shifts exacerbating vulnerabilities widespread facing today/tomorrow collectively seeking lasting resolutions ultimately benefiting all concerned stakeholders involved therein entirety thereof globally speaking 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