Guest Post on Wildfire Agency from Dan Reese

This was a comment but I thought it deserved its own post.

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Where to start? I’m not a noted person in the wildfire industry, but I have spent my entire adult life in it at various levels. Having worked a career in government service and the last 10 years in the private sector, I have a unique perspective regarding the challenges. I’ve worked for great mentors, sought to hear both sides of the story, been fortunate to advocate for the industry, write articles, present and moderate panels at state and international conferences, and am active on LinkedIn, all in the name of wildfire. There is much to unpack regarding the executive order and the excellent engagement from so many knowledgeable and experienced people on this forum. Regardless of our experiences, I do think we need a deep overhaul. Pendulums swing, policies are made, and our environment changes. We have all witnessed the unintended consequences of something we thought was a good idea at the time. Although I have concerns and questions about some of what is being proposed, I remain hopeful that engaged organizations and experienced people will prevail in molding the outcome of the Federal Fire Service should it materialize. I’d be lying if I told you I wouldn’t want to be a part of it.

Will it be perfect? I fear not. Will it be better than what we have now? I know so. Will the pendulum swing too far? Probably. Will we get it back to center? I believe in balance and am confident it will.

The comments here remind me why the United Aerial Firefighters Association was established. It wasn’t due to the industry’s differences but to each company’s shared interests. No one on this platform wants to lose resources we don’t need to lose, and none of us knows what we don’t know. Fires will burn regardless of our efforts. The questions and comments people discuss here are simple. When do we extinguish, and when do we burn? Many have it right, that some fires will burn with such intensity and in such conditions that we will not succeed until Mother Nature dictates. Sometimes we can dictate; however, we and the public need to be better prepared. We will never outsmart the weather and need more standardized data to make better informed decisions. I don’t think we align on data collection or its use. Small, prescribed fires on the shoulders of peak burning periods are not enough to accomplish what needs to be done. We cannot dictate these burns on a calendar, and more funding and resources must be assigned to these types of burns on many levels if we are to make an appreciable difference.

Much of what agencies do now works, but can it work better, more efficiently, and effectively? The answer is yes. Do we know what works and what doesn’t? I’d say to a significant extent, but we still have much to learn. The preservation of what we have now is what’s at stake. Does that mean doing nothing? Absolutely not, we have caused a lot of what’s transpired, and it will take a lot of time and expense to dig us out. I do feel it’s a fantasy to think we will save money in this venture. I already know from the data available that we need to do more on the front end than we currently do, but the savings on the back end will be exponential. Contrary to popular belief, the feds pay for a large percentage of many State and Local fires through the FMAG process. The question needing answered is, if there were more of a partnership between these agencies, could we alleviate overall costs? The analogy for spending in this industry is this. By day, we shovel a little money out of the front door of the Capitol for preparedness and suppression, but by night, when no one is looking, we truck cash out the back door. We need a change that will work best for our common interests.