Donald Trump has ordered the US government to consolidate its wildland firefighting force into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes in the middle of peak wildfire season.
The order aims to centralize firefighting efforts, which are now split among five agencies and two cabinet departments. Trump’s proposed budget for next year calls for the creation of a new Federal Wildland Fire Service under the US interior department.
That would mean shifting thousands of personnel from the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service – where most federal firefighters now work – with fire season already under way. The administration has not disclosed how much money the change could cost or save.
In his order, Trump cited the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January as highlighting a need for a quicker response to wildfires.