Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Friday called on several U.S. agencies to exempt seasonal wildland firefighters from the ongoing federal hiring freeze, as concerns about federal readiness for future blazes have intensified.
Schiff’s letter follows an NBC News report that President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order instituting a federal hiring freeze had halted onboarding for thousands of firefighters and could contribute to a shortfall ahead of the next fire season.
“I urge you to immediately exempt federal firefighters from the freeze on federal funding, to stop encouraging firefighters to resign, and to provide information on how these actions have impacted the hiring and retention of U.S. Forestry Service seasonal firefighters,” Schiff wrote in his Friday letter to the United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, a key firefighting agency; the Department of the Interior (DOI); and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which administers the federal budget.
Wildfires that started last month in the Los Angeles area killed at least 29 people, destroyed nearly 17,000 structures and forced thousands to flee their homes. U.S. Forest Service firefighters responded to several of the most damaging fires in the Los Angeles area and federal crews were credited with saving a neighborhood.
As of Friday afternoon, as reported by NBC News, wildland firefighters have not been considered exempt from the hiring freeze. Federal agencies, including the DOI’s Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service, hire more than 15,000 seasonal firefighters each year.
In a Jan. 21 memo, Gary Washington, the acting secretary of the Agriculture Department, said there were not any exemptions within his agency, which includes the forest service.
“Seasonal firefighters are essential to the public safety of those who live in fire-prone areas, and I am alarmed that federal firefighters are not party to this exemption,” Schiff wrote in his letter.
The OMB and USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday about Schiff’s letter. The Office of Personnel Management, which can grant exemptions according to Trump’s executive order, did not immediately respond on Saturday to a request for comment and questions about whether seasonal firefighters would be considered exempt.
“The Department of the Interior is implementing President Donald J. Trump’s Hiring Freeze Executive Order across the federal civilian workforce. The order allows for exemptions for certain positions, including those related to public safety,” wrote Elizabeth Peace, an Interior Department spokeswoman. “The Department is working to hire key positions that will continue to protect public and tribal lands, infrastructure, and communities from the impacts of wildfires through hazardous fuels management, wildfire preparedness, and close collaboration with interagency partners.”
