The Hotshot Wakeup covered this letter. According to his reporting, the letter
(written by 14 Fire Chiefs, which may be the same as FMO’s or maybe not?) says:
“We are grateful for the opportunity to engage in these critical conversations as the Forest Service transitions to interim operations and prepares for restructuring. Building on our shared experiences in Washington, D.C. this past June and mindful of recent developments. including the appointment of Deputy Chief Lytle, we believe this is a pivotal moment to reconnect and contribute meaningfully to shaping the path forward.”
“President Trump’s Executive Order 14308 (June 2025) gave us renewed hope that federal fire organizations are moving toward greater unification and streamlining. The order emphasized empowering fire professionals with expanded authorities and enhanced tools to better serve the American public while more efficiently implementing our mission.
In alignment with this, Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-017 (September 2025) further directs the Forest Service to strengthen national wildfire management systems, streamline operations, and unify fire organizations. Two sections of this memorandum are especially critical to our shared priorities:
1. Restructuring of the internal wildland fire organization: Develop proposals to consolidate fire leadership that reports directly to, and is accountable to, a Forest Service Deputy Chief. Implementation of this revised structure is scheduled to begin by April 1, 2026.
2. Assessment and standardization of staffing and classifications: Evaluate wildland fire staffing, organization, position descriptions, and job classifications to ensure consistency, and develop recommendations for standardization across the agency. Implementation of these recommendations will also begin by April 1, 2026.”
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“Engagement with the Fire Chiefs represented here is critical as the vast majority of fire employees are managed at the local unit, all emergency response, critical interactions with stakeholders, cooperators and customers take place at this level.
As fire professionals, we stand ready and available to provide on-the-ground feedback from the most complex U.S. Forest Service fire organization in the system, ensuring that organizational decisions are informed by operational realities. We look forward to further discussions and to supporting the Forest Service in achieving its goals for the future of the organization.”
I suspect that 2 won’t raise as much concern as 1.
Possibly because it’s not clear to me exactly how this would work. Certainly Law Enforcement is siloed, so there’s a precedent. I know there are many of us out there who don’t really understand ideas until we see how they might operate at a more granular level.
When we had the Retirees’ Reunion in Vail in 2012, I attended a session on fire- at the time retirees were concerned that line officers didn’t have enough experience to be delegated the wildfire authorities that came with the position. As I recall, in response to similar concerns, a mentoring program was established (I know TSW readers know more about all this than I do, so please correct or add in the comments). Since then, both pre- and post-Trump Admin there have been a host of new rangers and Supes with different kinds of experience. Even back in 2012, though, you could see that there wouldn’t be enough folks coming up with fire experience to staff all those line positions, so ultimately the same dog as the old days wouldn’t hunt.
Point being, in some sense, the idea of stovepiping would be a natural evolution in response to availability and quals of potential District Rangers and Forest Supervisors.
But if anyone out there signed or understands the intent of the letter, please explain to the rest of us..
1)What were the concerns specifically that led to the perceived need for stovepiping? Is it what I described above, or something else?
2) Under the stovepiping idea, how would fire suppression work differently? How would projects like prescribed fire or MT/PF combos be managed differently (if they would)?
3) What decisions would be made by FMO’s that are now made by line officers?
4) Who would an FMO report to? Given that there might not be Regions..
If you have other questions (or answers) please add in the comments. I will try to contact one of the authors of the letter and see if I can get answers. Again, people don’t work in a field and make statements like this without thinking it through.. so that info is out there somewhere.
Sharon – –
“this letter” in the hot link was to the Hot Shot Wake Up (HSWU) and its interpretation of the letter, still unseen in either blog. I requested that Tim release the letter and its signatories entirely; otherwise, it reads like a redacted FOIA release. There is no reason for the HSWU to enter into a “limited hang-out” that prevents us from seeing the full text, the context, and the names of those who signed it.
In the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, everyone is a chief, even me, as a consultant; I am the Chief Forester of Flexilis Forestry LLC! For your decoder ring, a Forest Service Fire Chief in California is equivalent to the Forest Fire Staff position standard for the rest of the Regions.
Joe, do not compare yourself to anyone in CDF, in that world you have to answer even to an entry level Forestry Assistant II.
“HSWU” is basically a gossip site on par with the New York Post.
Anon, that’s a fairly mean thing to say about HSWU.. and the New York Post has been correct about things, and covered things not covered elsewhere, so there’s that. I don’t think “gossip sites” would cover lessons learned or operational updates.
Hey Anon – –
I am the Chief Forester and don’t have to answer to you an entry level forestry assistant II. Don’t forget it and I use my name!
Joe,
If you feel that way, remind me the next time a Forestry Assistant II, or a Forester I, or any forester in CDF gives you a Violation, or tells you your Plan is lacking and sends it packing. I am not an “entry level forestry assistant”.
You respond to CDF, they are your approver, and it’s written in state Statute.
Which, in your response above, CDF has Unit Chiefs, Unit Foresters, and under those Captains, Engineers, Foresters, and Forestry Assistants. ‘Chief Forester’ is a made up thing in your own private company.
Which is to say, many of your comments are off base, or clearly “agenda driven”.
Joe, I think many news outlets do not link to documents provided by various currently employed folks. How many stories are based on info provided by “people familiar with the matter” and “not on record due to fear of retaliations OR not authorized to speak publicly”. Do you doubt that there might have been fire folks in California who expressed those concerns?
True Sharon, if they sent their letter anonymously, I would not be asking you or Tim to release the letter or names. But since they sent the letter boldly to management with signatures it becomes a matter of public record, subject to full release with names under FOIA.
The FMOs (=Fire Chief) I know express the same sentiment as described in the letter. Fire professionals are fed up with the arrogance and hubris of administrators – so called line officers, a term OPM does not use – making unilateral decisions that affect firefighter lives and public safety without their input. DR’s and Forest Sups alienate IMT’s and waste funds with 5-6 of them as Agency Administrators on small complexity incidents. Attending meetings all day and rarely leaving ICP. The results speak for themselves – counties have cancelled longstanding mutual aid agreements over frustration with the FS. The agency is obsessed with elevating “line officers” voices and importance over professional staff supervisors at the same or higher pay grades. It represents a failure of leadership and these fire chiefs have a strong case that they need to be stovepiped. I would go a step further and eliminate District Ranger positions in favor of local gs 11 office managers who don’t supervise professionals and have no decision authority. At a minimum on all units < 1 mill. acres. Commend the FMOs for speaking truth to the power cult.