New firefighters set out in Lane County amid a federal workforce restructuring
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene-based nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE), and his organization have been tracking the new fire service since last year, offering policy analysis on what they view as a “deceptive downsizing” that could further strain systems both ecologically and operationally.
Ingalsbee has heard from people in the new service who told him they were transferred from their home agency within the Department of the Interior, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, into the new wildfire service earlier this year without a say in it.
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene-based nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE), and his organization have been tracking the new fire service since last year, offering policy analysis on what they view as a “deceptive downsizing” that could further strain systems both ecologically and operationally.
Ingalsbee has heard from people in the new service who told him they were transferred from their home agency within the Department of the Interior, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, into the new wildfire service earlier this year without a say in it.
Safety advocates call for transparency in investigation into deaths of three wildland firefighters in Colorado
"We need to ask more questions about policy," he said. "Why were crews sent to this place, and for what purpose? What were they really protecting or defending? What is the objective there?"
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"We should rapidly respond to every ignition, but there's a difference between taking an initial action and framing it as an initial attack," Ingalsbee said. "In some cases, that initial action may be okay. This is doing good work for free, reducing some of this hazardous surface fuel air."
"We need to ask more questions about policy," he said. "Why were crews sent to this place, and for what purpose? What were they really protecting or defending? What is the objective there?"
…
"We should rapidly respond to every ignition, but there's a difference between taking an initial action and framing it as an initial attack," Ingalsbee said. "In some cases, that initial action may be okay. This is doing good work for free, reducing some of this hazardous surface fuel air."
The Deadly Cost of Misguided Federal Wildfire Policy
But among the tributes and reminders of how wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect communities was the question from Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and founder of the group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology: “Why were they attacking that fire in the first place?”
The reason is that the Trump administration has reinstated a full suppression strategy applied to every wildfire, resurrecting an almost 100-year-old debate over how to handle wildfires — a debate that science and long-standing indigenous practices had settled by the late 1970s. Combined with the establishment of the US Wildland Fire Service, such policies could cost more lives
But among the tributes and reminders of how wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect communities was the question from Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and founder of the group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology: “Why were they attacking that fire in the first place?”
The reason is that the Trump administration has reinstated a full suppression strategy applied to every wildfire, resurrecting an almost 100-year-old debate over how to handle wildfires — a debate that science and long-standing indigenous practices had settled by the late 1970s. Combined with the establishment of the US Wildland Fire Service, such policies could cost more lives
Fatal Colorado wildfire thrusts Trump strategy into the spotlight
“The conditions are ripe for extreme wildfires,” said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, in an interview before the firefighters were killed in Colorado. FUSEE represents wildland firefighters and promotes an ecological approach to fire management. “We really need a holistic fire management service that knows when and where to fight fires. … That's not where this agency is at, or seems to be headed, at the moment.”
“The conditions are ripe for extreme wildfires,” said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, in an interview before the firefighters were killed in Colorado. FUSEE represents wildland firefighters and promotes an ecological approach to fire management. “We really need a holistic fire management service that knows when and where to fight fires. … That's not where this agency is at, or seems to be headed, at the moment.”
As blazes rage out West, federal firefighters describe a mounting strain
Zeke Lunder, a 30-year wildfire expert who specializes in mapping and wildfire science, said the loss of senior, qualified leadership can have a tangible effect on crews when they are in the field, because fire — when, where and how it burns — is often cyclical.
“History tells you the potential, the possibility of a fire. When you forget those stories we repeat those mistakes,” Lunder said. “The right question isn’t are your positions fully staffed. It’s how many people do you have who have been working over 20 years?”
Zeke Lunder, a 30-year wildfire expert who specializes in mapping and wildfire science, said the loss of senior, qualified leadership can have a tangible effect on crews when they are in the field, because fire — when, where and how it burns — is often cyclical.
“History tells you the potential, the possibility of a fire. When you forget those stories we repeat those mistakes,” Lunder said. “The right question isn’t are your positions fully staffed. It’s how many people do you have who have been working over 20 years?”
Out of control wildfires rip through Colorado after firefighters die tackling blaze
The consolidation of thousands of personnel into the fire service has sown confusion among some firefighters about who their bosses are and what their responsibilities should be, according to former government officials.
The administration's focus on "full suppression" of new fires marks a sharp reversal from a decades-long trend toward embracing flames as a tool - to burn off old vegetation and growth that acts like fuel and lessen the risk of catastrophic blazes being stoked by a warming planet.
Federal officials have not released details on the circumstances preceding the weekend deaths, including the firefighters' objective at the site where they were overrun.
The consolidation of thousands of personnel into the fire service has sown confusion among some firefighters about who their bosses are and what their responsibilities should be, according to former government officials.
The administration's focus on "full suppression" of new fires marks a sharp reversal from a decades-long trend toward embracing flames as a tool - to burn off old vegetation and growth that acts like fuel and lessen the risk of catastrophic blazes being stoked by a warming planet.
Federal officials have not released details on the circumstances preceding the weekend deaths, including the firefighters' objective at the site where they were overrun.
The tools firefighters use to protect themselves in the worst of conditions
News of three casualties in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction drove home that sentiment earlier this week. Three wildland firefighters who to traveled to Colorado died fighting the blaze.
So today on In The NoCo, we’re looking at the story from a different angle. We want to hear about how wildland firefighters protect themselves in the worst of circumstances.
Timothy Ingalsbee is a former wildland firefighter based in Oregon. He’s now executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
He talked with Erin O’Toole about the tools and techniques firefighters use to give themselves a fighting chance in a deadly scenario.
News of three casualties in the Snyder Fire west of Grand Junction drove home that sentiment earlier this week. Three wildland firefighters who to traveled to Colorado died fighting the blaze.
So today on In The NoCo, we’re looking at the story from a different angle. We want to hear about how wildland firefighters protect themselves in the worst of circumstances.
Timothy Ingalsbee is a former wildland firefighter based in Oregon. He’s now executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
He talked with Erin O’Toole about the tools and techniques firefighters use to give themselves a fighting chance in a deadly scenario.
Stretched resources and low morale as firefighters face an already blazing wildfire season
Wildfire season is just beginning in the West, but firefighting resources are already strained following a windstorm last week that sent flames racing through Great Basin states mired in drought.
Adding pressure, the Trump administration has told firefighting agencies to pursue a “full suppression” strategy, meaning agencies are expected to try to snuff out every wildfire by default rather than allow some to burn when communities aren’t at risk.
Wildfire season is just beginning in the West, but firefighting resources are already strained following a windstorm last week that sent flames racing through Great Basin states mired in drought.
Adding pressure, the Trump administration has told firefighting agencies to pursue a “full suppression” strategy, meaning agencies are expected to try to snuff out every wildfire by default rather than allow some to burn when communities aren’t at risk.
Trump administration seeks to stomp out all fires quickly, reviving policy that has been discredited
“The question is, why were they attacking that fire in the first place?” asked Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and cofounder of the advocacy group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “What was actually at risk? If it was a bunch of shrubs on remote mountaintops, what was the real risk that justified putting those firefighters at risk?”
“The question is, why were they attacking that fire in the first place?” asked Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and cofounder of the advocacy group Firefighters United For Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “What was actually at risk? If it was a bunch of shrubs on remote mountaintops, what was the real risk that justified putting those firefighters at risk?”
After a challenging 2025, LGBTQ wildland firefighters push for a more inclusive workplace
Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter and co-founder of the FireGeneration Collaborative, said the challenges faced by queer firefighters like himself are also at play.
“If the fire workforce is anti-queer, it will be unattractive to many young people,” he said, pointing to data showing that more than one-fifth of Gen Z folks now consider themselves LGBTQ. “We grew up much more able to be ourselves than the generations before us.”
Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter and co-founder of the FireGeneration Collaborative, said the challenges faced by queer firefighters like himself are also at play.
“If the fire workforce is anti-queer, it will be unattractive to many young people,” he said, pointing to data showing that more than one-fifth of Gen Z folks now consider themselves LGBTQ. “We grew up much more able to be ourselves than the generations before us.
Three Wildland Firefighters Killed in Colorado Blaze
“Climate change is producing these fast fires that just can overwhelm conventional suppression strategies and tactics,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, an education and advocacy group. He said he didn’t know enough about the details of the Snyder Fire to comment on the conditions there, “but that’s a general statement that spans the continent.”
“Climate change is producing these fast fires that just can overwhelm conventional suppression strategies and tactics,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, an education and advocacy group. He said he didn’t know enough about the details of the Snyder Fire to comment on the conditions there, “but that’s a general statement that spans the continent.”
The winter’s snow drought is now a full-blown water crisis
Trump has long pushed for increased logging as a fire management tool, and this season will put that theory to the test. Experts warn that industrial-scale logging can’t significantly reduce wildfire threats.
“The type of drought we’re seeing this year across the West is a glimpse into the future,” Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University, told Bloomberg Law. “Thinning and logging forests—that’s not going to control wildfires.”
Trump has long pushed for increased logging as a fire management tool, and this season will put that theory to the test. Experts warn that industrial-scale logging can’t significantly reduce wildfire threats.
“The type of drought we’re seeing this year across the West is a glimpse into the future,” Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University, told Bloomberg Law. “Thinning and logging forests—that’s not going to control wildfires.”
Trump repeals rules governing off-roading on public lands
“I think this is going to be the year,” warned Timothy Ingalsbee, co-founder and executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “The conditions are just ripe for some really bad outcomes.”
“I think this is going to be the year,” warned Timothy Ingalsbee, co-founder and executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “The conditions are just ripe for some really bad outcomes.”
Why Wildfire Experts Are So Worried About This Year’s Fire Season
Burgum’s previous efforts to centralize power at Interior drew complaints about the organizational chaos that followed: Some 5,000 staff were moved from the department’s component agencies to his office in May 2025, and almost 1,800 quit, retired or were pushed out afterward. That’s sparked concern about how smooth his overhaul of the department’s firefighting efforts will be.
“The bottom line is it’s disorganization,” said Ingalsbee.
Burgum’s previous efforts to centralize power at Interior drew complaints about the organizational chaos that followed: Some 5,000 staff were moved from the department’s component agencies to his office in May 2025, and almost 1,800 quit, retired or were pushed out afterward. That’s sparked concern about how smooth his overhaul of the department’s firefighting efforts will be.
“The bottom line is it’s disorganization,” said Ingalsbee.
Forest Service delays public rollout of its proposed repeal of Roadless Rule
The documents were expected to be released earlier this year, according to the agency.
In April, and in the absence of public meetings, Oregon-based groups hosted town halls in Portland, Bend and Eugene. Nearly 100 people gathered at Gratitude Brewing in Eugene to hear from local advocates and leaders, including Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger.
During that event, organizers with Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, and Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology outlined how people could prepare to comment again, anticipating another public comment period would open soon.
The documents were expected to be released earlier this year, according to the agency.
In April, and in the absence of public meetings, Oregon-based groups hosted town halls in Portland, Bend and Eugene. Nearly 100 people gathered at Gratitude Brewing in Eugene to hear from local advocates and leaders, including Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger.
During that event, organizers with Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, and Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology outlined how people could prepare to comment again, anticipating another public comment period would open soon.
New burn bans and Trump's battle with immigration and DEI are impacting forest fires
Firefighters also indicated that a full suppression strategy was not supported by science or indigenous knowledge of how to protect land. A 2025 study found that during the 2020 fire season in California, areas that had been burned before experienced wildfires that were about 16% less severe, on average.
"It's in defiance of all that we have learned, decades of fire ecology research, all that indigenous people have shared with us about how they stewarded the land with fire," said Dr. Timothy Ingalsbee, a wildland fire ecologist and former Forest Service firefighter. "And so it's just very alarming."
Firefighters also indicated that a full suppression strategy was not supported by science or indigenous knowledge of how to protect land. A 2025 study found that during the 2020 fire season in California, areas that had been burned before experienced wildfires that were about 16% less severe, on average.
"It's in defiance of all that we have learned, decades of fire ecology research, all that indigenous people have shared with us about how they stewarded the land with fire," said Dr. Timothy Ingalsbee, a wildland fire ecologist and former Forest Service firefighter. "And so it's just very alarming."
Is a Perfect (Fire) Storm Brewing for 2026?
“There is a lack of will at the very top, especially in this administration,” says Ingalsbee. “It’s part of an ideology to make prescribed burning impossible so it makes commercial logging inevitable.”
“There is a lack of will at the very top, especially in this administration,” says Ingalsbee. “It’s part of an ideology to make prescribed burning impossible so it makes commercial logging inevitable.”
Viewpoint: What actually works — and what doesn’t — when managing wildfires
The good news is that we know what to do. Thin the understory. Conduct prescribed burns. Update building codes and zoning. Create real defensible space around homes. These are not partisan positions — they are the accumulated findings of decades of peer-reviewed research and on-the-ground experience.
The bad news is that more and more intense wildfires are coming regardless of what we do about carbon emissions in the next decade. We cannot apply 20th-century solutions to 21st-century fire. The forests around us are changing, the climate is changing, and our policies need to change with them — guided by evidence rather than ideology.
The good news is that we know what to do. Thin the understory. Conduct prescribed burns. Update building codes and zoning. Create real defensible space around homes. These are not partisan positions — they are the accumulated findings of decades of peer-reviewed research and on-the-ground experience.
The bad news is that more and more intense wildfires are coming regardless of what we do about carbon emissions in the next decade. We cannot apply 20th-century solutions to 21st-century fire. The forests around us are changing, the climate is changing, and our policies need to change with them — guided by evidence rather than ideology.
‘Scientifically inaccurate’: Wildland firefighters speak out against Roadless Rule repeal
While the USDA argues that the rollback will reduce the risk of wildfires, FUSEE says that is scientifically inaccurate.
“It is the professional opinion of the wildland firefighters who signed the letter that rescinding this rule will have the opposite effect,” FUSEE said in a press release announcing the letter.
While the USDA argues that the rollback will reduce the risk of wildfires, FUSEE says that is scientifically inaccurate.
“It is the professional opinion of the wildland firefighters who signed the letter that rescinding this rule will have the opposite effect,” FUSEE said in a press release announcing the letter.
Why a major reorganization at the Forest Service has people concerned
“I worry that I sound paranoid like a conspiracy theorist — why would anybody want to break a federal agency?” said Rich Fairbanks, a former Forest Service firefighter and board member of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “But that’s exactly what they appear to be trying to do.”
“I worry that I sound paranoid like a conspiracy theorist — why would anybody want to break a federal agency?” said Rich Fairbanks, a former Forest Service firefighter and board member of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “But that’s exactly what they appear to be trying to do.”