From what I’ve observed and heard, it seems like the push for One Wildfire Agency may have come from externals, including partners, who have to deal with several federal agencies, as well as some wildfire employees who would prefer to have bosses and direct leadership from the fire world.
I think everyone would prefer to have bosses who know and understand their work, so I don’t think that that’s unusual.
The Hotshot Wakeup had a very interesting interview today with San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey.
If you don’t have time to listen, Munsey did note that the people working on the One Agency appreciate the connection with land management, and are working on how to do that; and even mentioned planning. The barriers to technology adoption (aka multi-agency bureaucracies) sounded par for the technology (or any other topic) course. He also mentioned the importance of access via roads (ties in with Don Amador’s recent post).
I don’t think the interview is paywalled, but if it is, let me know.
Also, here is Munsey’s testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 15, 2025. It’s got some interesting ideas about joint land management and history. That’s where I got the above photos.
Here’s THW’s summary of the interview:
Today, I welcome San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey to discuss what he believes are the four biggest lies in the wildfire industry, and what the actual truths are behind those lies.
The Four Lies the Chief Addresses:
- There is a large wildfire crisis. (Truth: We have a land management crisis.)
- There is a fire insurance crisis. (Truth: We have a crisis of homes burning down.)
- The Palisades and Eaton Fires were very destructive “wildfires.” (Truth: These were urban conflagrations with a small wildfire component.)
- There is a wildfire technology crisis. (Truth: There is a wildfire technology adoption crisis.)
We then discuss the leadership of the new wildfire agency, the reality of moving forward with it, and I ask him if California can realistically achieve success with its wildfire land management under the new “Make America Rake Again” campaign.
Chief Munsey oversees the largest fire protection district in the Nation, spanning almost 20,000 square miles and serving a population of nearly two million. The Chief has testified before Congress multiple times, advocating for better wages, improved technology adoption, and the maintenance of trails and forest roads to help wildland firefighters access wildfires.
Listen, and we can discuss below in the comments.
In the divorce between fire and forestry; Where does Smokey the Bear end up?
Smokey is now a volunteer, who works as a campground host.
Shared custody… there are so many aspects of wildfire prevention and management that are intertwined.. recreation, campfires, and so on. It will be interesting to see how they plan to link wildfire responsibilities with the land management agencies.
Anonymous,
Smokey does not have a middle name of “the”. The court of public opinion has awarded Smokey Bear to the proposed fire service!
Will Smokey be forced to renounce his affinity for “natural ignitions”?
I always found the ‘Smokey Police’ to be amusing in their ambushing commenters using “Smokey the Bear”. On Facebook, it was almost like there’s a competition to correct as many as possible, as quickly as possible. Of course, people would always inevitably bring up the song, knowing that their own childhood memories could never be wrong.