TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Will the Forest Service be ready for wildfires that could hit us this year? The Federal government was already having trouble recruiting enough firefighters, now staff cuts and hiring freezes are raising more questions about wildfire protection.
A huge share of the land in Arizona is owned and cared for by the US Forest Service but there are concerns about whether firefighting resources are going to be adequate for the fire season ahead.
It’s not all wilderness near National Forests, people often live on land nearby where a wildfire could spread.
Federal firings and budget cuts raise the question of whether there will be enough firefighters and enough of the organization required to fight a large wildfire and keep it from spreading.
“It's like they're using a sledgehammer to do eye surgery. They're not cutting out the fat, they're cutting out the bone and the muscle.”
After 45 years fighting fires Bobbie Scopa is with Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a group that supports wildland firefighters and their mission.
She says now is usually when the Forest Service hires more firefighters to be ready for big fires in the spring and summer.
But Forest Service and Federal jobs sites say Forest Service has no jobs available.
A Federal, state and tribal interagency site that organizes wildland firefighting across the Southwest, shows most crews with a “U’ for unavailable, one incident commander available, no hot shot crews, and one type two fire crew.
Bobbie Scopa says that’s not unusual for a normal February but it’s already becoming a busy fire season. And she says the claim no full-time firefighters are being fired looks past the many firefighters who do other jobs—until a fire breaks out.
“Their jobs are working in the wilderness, working on the recreation crews, working with the timber crews. They are firefighters as well, and they are being fired.”
Sabino Canyon visitors appreciate the Forest Service land there. We found a range of opinions about cuts that could affect wildfire protection.
Kathy Ray says, “If they need staff in order to prevent forest fires and they're laying off, experience and good fire, forest fire prevention team members, I think that that's really bad.”
John Ilcisin says we need to cut deficits and stick to budgets but think about the value of what might be cut.
“We can't just cut willy-nilly. We have to look at what’s invaluable, and we can make judgments, and in that case that could possibly affect a lot of people.”
