The best Democrat on the House Committee Report Propublica Showing that there were thousands of vacancies in the fire service when the peak fire season approached.
In June, the Forest Service claimed that it reached 99% of its work for their workforce on fire service. But the propublica report showed that the agency selectively counts firefighters by presenting an optimistic assessment to the public. As of July 17, as of 27% of the jobs were vacant, according to Propublica.
Res. Robert Garcia, Democrat from California and a member of the Committee on Supervision and State Reforms, asked for a rally A letter sent in the morning on Thursday. “The decisions on the management of the Trump administration reinforce the already terrible situation: the potential of the Forest Service fire service is dangerously hindered by the Department of Government Effectiveness and the Trump administration, delayed resignations and other early exits and resignations, as well as the climate change expands the fire season,” he wrote.
The statements of the forest service on its readiness are contrary to not only its own employees – the firefighters in California, quoted in a propublica report called 99% “gross inaccurate” – but also its own statistics. In July, Propublica reported that, according to agencies, its fire management and aviation program contained more than 4,500 active vacancies, including for such important major firefighters as hot, dispatchers and engine captains. At the time, the press secretary of the Agricultural Department challenged that there were many vacancies in the Forest Service under the aviation and aviation program, but did not provide data otherwise. Later, a press -secretary of the Forest Service claimed that the propublica figures were inaccurate, Telling about high countries news“Their number is probably derived from outdated bodies and non -financial positions.” However, PROPBLICA excluded all uninfected positions from its analysis, and its data came from active organizational schedules.
When asked to support his claims that the agency’s fire service is fully staffed, the press secretary wrote: “The Forest Service is fully prepared and operates to protect people and communities from the fires. There are more than 19,000 workers in the forest service, both in the group of fire and aviation.”
According to experts, the agency has long resisted, providing a comprehensive and transparent rupture of its fire. “If the Congress does not tell them, they are not going to report on such a magnitude,” said Robert Kong, a former forestry official, which co-authored with such an assessment between 2009 and 2011. Kun cited the costs and efforts involved in the analysis of a common and complex agency. Earlier this year, the organization of firefighting for fire activity wrote: “None of the federal agencies developed a modern formula to determine how many firefighters and support staff really need to resolve the 21st Century issues.” Most of the federal firefighters work in forestry in the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, there are thousands of firefields in four agencies of the interior department in the federal government. President Donald Trump has ordered everyone to consolidate their wild ground fire programs. Details of this association were not published.
Each year, the Forest Service reports that it filled its ranks that it is known as the main firefighters. But, according to the current and former staff of the forestry, this assessment is the basis of the statement that the agency reached 99% of its hiring goal – misleading a number of levels. The Forest Service simply counts “operational firefighters” operating in a given pay range. This figure includes both temporary seasonal firefighters that have just joined the agency and experienced veterans all year round-but it does not distinguish them, and therefore rushes a great loss of institutional knowledge. In recent years, the agency has suffered the outcome of experienced firefighters. The agency’s assessment also excludes both firefighters and a decisive employee. Public associates of wild ground fire with the most iconic figures: Smokejumpers, Hotshots and crews of engines that often support aircraft while discarding the gap. But in the country, firefighter in the country also includes, for example, human resource specialists, environmentalists, deserts, meteorologists, trail workers and other qualifications that allow them to work on the fire line. These qualifications are given that it is known as “red card”. The archaeologist could have a red card that allowed them, say, to watch the spread of food in the fire camp.
Credit:
Obtained and edited by Propublica
According to the internal data considered in July propublica, approximately 1,600 employees on the card left the government this winter and spring. The Forest Service claims that the actual figure is 1400. Garcia has asked for a complete account of the impact of the doge on the forest service, requiring “all documents and communications regarding staffing, hiring, reducing force, a postponement or” fork on the road “, as well as fire resources and potential in the forest service.”
Pink public estimates of the agency’s own force were also linked to his efforts to overcome the workers he forced. In the July note, the head of the Forest Service Service Schultz allowed the agency to have enough resources and now recruit employees who dispersed with the agency. Most recently, the emails that have considered PROPBLICA show that since July 22, the forests have sent several reports of employees. Electronic letters advertise dozens of discoveries for the necessary fire positions – such as dispatcher, engine captain and Hotshot chief at least seven states. Asked about the emails, the agency’s press secretary wrote: “We have active kits for FY26”.
In his letter, Garcia demanded that Rolls provide the Committee on Supervision of “detailed and comprehensive consideration of the current changes in the personnel schedule and staffing on the forest service, including from January 20.
