New US Wildland Fire Service established

The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced the launch of a new US Wildland Fire Service, intended to oversee a unified approach to wildfire management programs across the Department’s various bureaus and offices.

The Department stated that the move was in response to the increasing “size, intensity, and cost” of wildfires across the US, resulting in “significant impacts to communities, infrastructure, tribal trust assets, agriculture, and local economies nationwide”.

At present, responsibility for wildfire management is divided between a number of government organizations under the purview of the DOI, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Office of Aviation Services, and the Office of Wildland Fire.

It is hoped that the new, unified agency will streamline decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the DOI’s ability to respond to wildfires.

The service will be overseen by Brian Fennessy, until recently the Fire Chief of Orange County Fire Authority in California.

“Wildfire response depends on coordination, clarity, and speed,” said Fennessy. “This initial planning effort is about bringing programs together, strengthening cooperation across the Department, and building a framework that better supports firefighters and the communities they serve.”

California was beset by severe wildfires last year, which led to massive property damage and population displacement.