They’re working on an idea of a concept of a plan
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[S.441] - Fit for Purpose Wildfire Readiness Act of 2025 (119th Congress)
Sponsor: [Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]] (Introduced 02/06/2025)
Has changes in:
- [Committees]
- Committees: Senate - Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Cosponsors (1 new, 2 total)
- Cosponsor: 02/25/2026: Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
- Display Title
- Display Title: A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to develop a plan to reorganize Federal wildland fire response, and for other purposes.
- Display Title: Fit for Purpose Wildfire Readiness Act of 2025
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Chiefs have been named…
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These don’t open.
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Sorry - not tracking what you mean by these don’t open?
The link above should take you to a Hotshot Wake-Up substack page announcing the 9 new Geographic Area Fire Chiefs that were recently named. Thats as far as that link goes..
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Not to be picky, but I hope they fix the organization chart. I know they don’t mean it in all cases, but the way it is built there is a cascade of one-to-one supervisor to subordinate ratios. Each person is working for the person above them because the lines are top to bottom.
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It appears that the Org. Chart is generic and it covers only mgr.s and department heads. If they filled it all in the ratio would be closer to 7-8 to 1, subordinates to mgrs..
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For the total number of firefighters they have in each region or as they call it geographic area the org chart is too top heavy.
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Does anyone else find it interesting that no Forest Service employees were hired into these new Geographic Chief positions?
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Imo..
2 things can be true at the same time & they can also be good and bad simultaniously.
In the context of this thread and your observation i feel its relevant to point out a longstanding truth that should have more time / discourse in the light of day.
There is core belief held very very tightly by decision makers inside & outside the agency that “We’re a Forest Service NOT a Fire Service.” It is my opinion and experience that this fact has led to the severe consternation and disconnect between “Fire & Aviation Management” and almost everyone else..
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Yes… But. The USFS is not included in this organization, so it would be a hard sell to place them in an organization they (currently - takes congressional action) legally do not have anything to do with.
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Rough estimates, the USWFS GW-15 FAM GA Chief might have 700 firefighters, two IHCs in California, with much of the BLM land direct protected by CALFIRE and the Forest Service.
My FAM Director in Region 5 has by my last count close to 50 IHCs or Type 2 IA crews, a couple hundred engines and what 4000-5000 firefighters?
Easy GW-15 for the USWFS guy.
Mistakes were made by the USWFS for using GACC boundaries for GAs (regions). DOI just doesn’t have enough resources throughout the country to justify this or a 37 person regional staff.
I bring this up not because it’s us vs them, but moreover because what happened to all the efficiency chatter we kept hearing about?
One lawsuit against DOI implementing this and there is a 50/50 chance the USWFS crumbles until approved by Congress.
To the best of my knowledge the GW15s were flown Interior only.
The balance of acres between SRA & FRA with DOI continues. Fires like the Angora in the Tahoe Basin, Walker, and Last year’s Pack in the Eastern Sierra has forced the hands of the leaders and politicians alike, especially in R5.
This new agency will have growing pains similar to any large agency forces to adopt new realities the current leadership does not agree with. I wish the Chief well in these endeavors. But the fact remains, our Founding Father’s envisioned this county as Representative Republic and built it that way. The “one size fits all” mentality does not work.
The GA 15s were not flown DOI only.
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