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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation investment that will rebuild America’s roads, bridges, and railways; expand access to clean drinking water; ensure every American has access to high-speed internet; tackle the climate crisis; advance environmental justice; and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. It also provides a historic $4.5 billion for federal wildland fire management over the next five years.
The BIL provides a historic $4.5 billion for federal wildland fire management efforts over the next five years, including $3 billion for the Department of Agriculture and nearly $1.5 billion for the Interior Department.
With this funding, the Interior Department will dramatically expand its efforts to reduce wildfire risk, prepare for and respond to harmful wildfires, and support post-fire recovery, including in communities that have traditionally been overlooked. Over the next five years, the main investments will include:
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$878 million to reduce wildfire risk
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$325 million to expand burned area restoration
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$164 million for workforce improvements
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$72 million for technology and equipment improvements
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$10 million for fire science research
The Interior Department, in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service, is focused on implementing this historic investment in forest and rangeland restoration, hazardous fuel management, wildfire preparation, and post-wildfire restoration as quickly and efficiently as possible. Learn more on our blog.
If you or anyone you know is looking for a job in wildland fire, now is the time to apply! Within the Interior Department, a variety of positions are currently available through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service. Finding the perfect position and learning how to apply has never been easier.
Those seeking a federal wildland fire position can find a listing of open positions on the National Interagency Fire Center website. Once you’ve found the right job, learn how to navigate the application process through a series of quick video tutorials and find pro tips on our blog.
Our new norm of larger, more extreme wildfires coupled with a workforce framework that has not been updated in six decades makes it clear we must modernize our workforce so that it is equitably compensated, available year-round, and cared for both physically and mentally.
The Interior Department launched a wildland fire workforce reform initiative to begin giving our employees greater stability and enabling them grow in their positions while improving the department's ability to address more extreme wildfire behavior and meet the year-round needs for wildland fire management activities.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides significant funding to expand our workforce reform initiative. Over the next five years, the Interior Department will receive $164 million for workforce improvements, ranging from a new wildland firefighter classification series to mental health support, improved compensation to additional training.
We recognize thousands of our firefighting employees are eager for information about the status of this work and will share updates as these efforts progress. Learn about the latest progress with our workforce reforms. [ADD LINK]
The Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have established a Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. Its establishment fulfills a key provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a critical step in combating the nation’s wildfire crisis and improving resilience in America’s landscapes.
The commission is tasked with recommending federal policies and strategies to more effectively prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires, including the rehabilitation of land affected by wildfires. It will include representation from federal, state, Tribal, county, and municipal governments, as well as non-governmental stakeholders from private industry.
The commission will deliver a report to Congress with practical policy recommendations one year from its first meeting.
The work of the commission will build on existing interagency federal efforts, such as the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and the White House Wildfire Resilience Interagency Working Group and will continue to pursue a whole-of-government approach to wildfire risk reduction and resilience.
Learn more in the Interior Department’s news release…
Wildland firefighters perform grueling, hazardous work that not only takes a physical toll but can also impact mental health in ways both big and small.
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Mental Health Subcommittee highlights the importance of mental health for those who work in wildland fire and provides resources for those in need in an excellent Wildland Firefighter Mental Health video.
The video emphasizes the importance of communication and work-life balance while also highlight the resources available to help those in need of support.
 The COVID-19 pandemic remains a threat to wildland fire operations as wildfire incidents are considered high-risk work environments for infectious disease transmission. The Wildland Fire Medical and Public Health Advisory Team recently issued a memo that provides recommendations for continued COVID-19 safety protocols within wildland fire based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.
The recommendations include vaccinations and booster shots, masking and physically distancing as possible, insulating crews, minimizing personnel at incident command posts, and conducting radio or video briefings. Staff will continue to conduct daily COVID-19 screening. Firefighter health coordinators will lead COVID-related mitigation requirements for medical units and incident management teams.
Testing will be prioritized for individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID and asymptomatic individuals with recent exposure. If capacity allows, testing may be used for all personnel assigned to an incident.
The Incident COVID-19 Tracker (ICT) will be the standard COVID-19 tracking system used on all large incidents to provide real-time information to better understand the impact to firefighting resources across geographic areas and to assess when additional prevention measures are necessary.
COVID-19 prevention and mitigation remain a priority during wildland fire operations. Consistent expectations and execution will help us ensure the utmost safety against COVID-19 this fire year. The Medical and Public Health Advisory Team will continue to monitor the national COVID-19 situation and amend these recommendations as appropriate.
Each year, as we hear about wildfires raging across the U.S., people often envision vast forests. However, much of the low-elevation Southwest is also experiencing larger, more destructive wildfires. These arid and semi-arid regions, known as drylands, can take a long time to recover, and the ecosystem can change in ways that make wildfires more likely to recur.
Researchers are trying to understand what is driving fires in these areas to become more extreme while exploring what we can do to promote recovery and reduce wildfire risk.
Seth Munson, Ph.D., is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southwest Biological Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. During his thirteen years in this position, his research has focused on the impacts of climate change and land use on dryland ecosystems.
Read our interview with Dr. Munson on our blog…
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