SPOKANE, Wash. – Firefighters and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials are preparing for the upcoming fire season, but federal hiring freezes are causing concern. Thomas Milward from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources explained that the ongoing federal cuts and freezes could result in fewer seasonal firefighters this year.
“Seasonal employees don’t tend to wait around for work so again I think there’s an expectation that there’ll be fewer federal seasonal firefighters on the landscape of Washington state this season,” Milward said.
This uncertainty is shared by Spokane County Fire District 9 Chief Matt Vinci. He mentioned that despite their agencies operating at full capacity, the lack of federal support is troubling.
“That’s a concerning trend that we want to see stop,” Vinci stated.
The federal hiring freezes and budget cuts are part of President Trump’s efforts to reduce federal spending. Milward emphasized the lack of communication from Washington D.C. as a major issue, saying, “there’s been multiple times this season where high ranking DNR officials have learned about major changes through the media not from our partners which again just speaks to the chaos happening right now.”
With one of the first local wildfires of the season occurring Wednesday afternoon in Okanogan County, Milward and Vinci stressed the importance of fire safety and prevention. “It takes the villages they say, so continue to work with your neighbors and your local fire department to prepare for what could be a really tough Fire season ahead,” Vinci added.
Milward noted that around 85-90% of fires in Washington are accidentally started by people, urging the community to collaborate to prevent future wildfires.
