FUSEE: Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology

Wildfire Seasons Are Starting to Overlap. That Spells Trouble for Firefighting.

Ramping up fossil fuel burning and wildfire suppression is like spraying gasoline from a fire hose on flames. The Trump Administration wants it both ways: drill, baby, drill, and fight, fight, fight! The outcome: burn, baby, burn.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/c...

Scientists have found another alarming pattern in wildfires Around the world, the conditions that brew massive blazes are...syncing up?

Trump is already burning bridges of international cooperation among wildland fire services in Canada, Mexico, and Australia. When we ask for help, will they respond?

Now they will have another reason to refuse: the whole world is burning all at the same time.

www.vox.com/climate/4795...

Dem leaders of key House and Senate committees state their strong opposition to Trump's U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
drive.google.com/file/d/1L2qc...
This seems to be more than another performative "strongly worded letter." But what are the consequences for the Admin's non-reply?

Democrats sound alarm on Interior reorg's impact on wildfires, land management Unauthorized shifts to staffing could leave DOI agencies underresourced for critical duties, lawmakers say.

Trump basically dares Congress to stop his misuse of taxpayer funds for his new federal firefighting force.

Wildfire season is already here, and the continuing cuts, chaos, and confusion afflicting federal firefighters will hit Congress's constituents hard!

www.govexec.com/management/2...

Interior department moves to consolidate its firefighters into one agency With no dedicated funding for the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, how are those in land management reacting?

Trump's new federal firefighting force, the US Wildland Fire Service, is an unfunded mandate that Congress refused to fund.

Trump believes that as the Unitary Executive, he can spend taxpayer money any way he wants, including on his new "Fire Force."

www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/interio...

Trump’s new Wildland Fire Service is failing to ignite Wildfires are a growing threat. Do we need a new federal agency to help?

A virtual townhall meeting for DOI firefighters is happening today to answer questions about the mission & organizational structure of the USWFS.

Since planning for the USWFS has been a top-down, top-secret affair, there are more questions than answers!

www.vox.com/climate/4777...

Wildfire Urgency Unites Congress. The ‘Fix Our Forests’ Act Does Not. - Inside Climate News A House hearing exposed sharp divisions over whether loosening environmental laws and expanding logging will protect communities from catastrophic fires. Scientists urged a shift toward investing in f...

Dr. Dave Calkin, retired USFS wildland fire scientist, gave great testimony at today's House hearing on FOFA.

Among his best: "There is no substitute for fire in our wildlands. We need fire in those landscapes."

FOFA's logging agenda denies that vital fact.

insideclimatenews.org/news/0302202...

Queer and young, he’s part of a generational shift in wildland firefighting Kyle Trefny spends hours reading policy reports and combing through data as a researcher with the University of Oregon’s Ecosystem Workforce Program and an advocate for people who work in wildland fir...

"At FireGeneration Collaborative, [Kyle Trefny and Ryan Reed] are reimagining fire culture to support a more diverse workforce while centering Indigenous leadership."

FireGen's co-founder Kyle Trefny was highlighted in Lookout Euguene-Springfield 🔥

lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/enviro...

Trump signed the FY26 Interior Appropriations bill into law, but Congress explicitly refused to fund his new agency, the US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS).

Regardless, Trump charges ahead with his unfunded mandate in defiance of Congress, robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Will Congress uphold the law?

Fix Our Forests Act makes big wildfire response changes. Expert says it also has harmful provisions Tim Ingalsbee is executive director of the Oregon-based nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology and said the bill is one of the most significant pieces of wildfire-related legisla...

The Fix Our Forests Act is a mixed bag of good, bad, and ugly forest management provisions.

Before we can "fix" our forests, we need to fix our fires. Shift the paradigm from extractive logging & reactive firefighting to proactive prescribed & cultural burning.

www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

Federal judge nixes rule that enabled clearcutting in the name of taming wildfires The Forest Service didn’t make a “reasoned decision” in exempting timber harvests from environmental review.

Word of a federal court ruling against U.S. Forest Service's use of categorical exclusions for logging schemes in the name of "wildfire prevention" is spreading.

We need more science-backed analysis, public input, and legal accountability in the USFS, not less.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Decades-Old Rule that Allowed Logging on Vast Swaths of US Land Ruled Unlawful by Oregon Court - Inside Climate News The Forest Service didn’t make a ‘reasoned decision’ in using a categorical exclusion to exempt timber harvests from environmental reviews to ease wildfire mitigation and habitat improvement, the judg...

A federal court decision could throw cold water on the Fix Our Forests Act.

Categorical exclusions (CEs) are about plundering public lands with less scientific analysis, informed public input, or legal oversight when we actually need more of all that.

insideclimatenews.org/news/2101202...

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service has officially launched; but Congress has decided not to fund it The Department of the Interior (DOI) has formally announced the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS), a development that came the same week that the U.S. Congress declined to fund i...

The Trump admin is creating and funding its new agency, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, in defiance of Congress and without any expert or external input.

It is leaping before looking, flying by the seat of its pants, making it all up as it goes along.

www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-gov...

Interior launches consolidated U.S. Wildland Fire Service | Capital Press U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Jan. 12 signed an order establishing the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a unification of programs previously part of six DOI agencies and offices.

Congress refused to fund Trump's consolidation of federal fire programs, but he thinks changing the word from consolidation to "unification" gives the "Unitary Executive" a blank check to spend Interior Appropriations as he wishes.

Word games conning the Congress!

capitalpress.com/2026/01/14/i...

Interior’s new Fire Service could siphon off thousands of BLM staff A plan under consideration would move thousands of BLM firefighters and some other staff to the Wildland Fire Service created by Interior Secretary Doug

Trump's new U.S. Wildland Fire Service is poaching firefighters from other federal agencies. This robs agencies of workers who steward public lands when they are not fighting fires, and it cuts off the USWFS from the federal "fire militia." Dumb move!

www.eenews.net/articles/int...

Congress Has Doubts About the Trump Administration’s New Wildfire Management Plans - Inside Climate News Neither the House nor the Senate included funding for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service in new spending bills. The Interior Department is still forging ahead.

The Trump admin forges ahead creating a new federal agency, the US Wildland Fire Service, despite Congress pointedly refusing to fund it.

With no input going in and little info coming out, the whole thing is a risky investment lacking accountability.

insideclimatenews.org/news/2001202...

Interior to Launch U.S. Wildland Fire Service | U.S. Department of the Interior The Department of the Interior today announced it is taking the next step to establish the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. Interior appointed a new leader to oversee the implementation of the new service ...

Congress has wisely refused to fund Trump's decreed consolidation of federal wildland fire programs into a new agency, the USWFS. Regardless, the DOI officially launched this new agency. Firefighters are now being transferred over, but what will be their mission?

www.doi.gov/pressrelease...

"The astonishing thing is not that Los Angeles burns but that so much of its development has enhanced rather than blunted the threat from fire,” said Stephen Pyne, FUSEE Advisory Council member.

🔥FUSEE in the News🔥

'Which City Burns Next' in The New York Times. Read about it 👇
tinyurl.com/nytfusee

Giving Guide By EW staff and this community Give the gift of your support — whether it’s volunteering or that bottom-line funding it takes to keep a nonprofit going — even the smallest amount helps! E…

We're in Eugene Weekly's Giving Guide! Thank you for featuring us ❤️

Check it out:
eugeneweekly.com/2025/12/18/g...
Donate:
fusee.org/donate

Hope—and Many Fears—Follow in the Wake of Trump's Plan to Transform Wildland Firefighting - Inside Climate News The Departments of Interior and Agriculture announced a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. But layoffs, confusion and budget cuts have sparked doubts.

“The wildland fire community is freaked out beyond alarm… by all the defunding and downsizing and disruption caused by the DOGE dudes,” said Tim Ingalsbee, FUSEE's Executive Director, about Fire Consolidation.

🔥FUSEE in the News🔥

Read the article 👇
insideclimatenews.org/news/1612202...

The “No Man’s Yellow” Fire Shirt Project — Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology FUSEE had the pleasure of displaying non-toxic firefighter uniforms (“yellows”) at our 2025 Fall Fire Festival. Sasha White, the creator of “No Man’s Yellow,” uses silk noil fabric and natural dyes, f...

The “No Man’s Yellow” Fire Shirt 💛

Sasha White, the creator of “No Man’s Yellow,” uses silk noil fabric and natural dyes, focusing on a fit that works better for female bodies as opposed to standard-issued Nomex that contains PFAS and works best for male bodies.

fusee.org/fusee/the-no...

Building a Tender Box: A Renewal of Cultural Burning — Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology Cultural burns are central to the restoration and protection of our shared land and waterscapes. The Native-led Traditional Ecological Inquiry Program (TEIP) rebuilds our relationships with each other...

"The fire was not a raging force to be tamed, but a gentle, intentional presence, a relative in motion, guided by the knowledge of elders and the capable hands of the Indigenous community."

Rachel Cushman and Sage Hatch talk cultural burning in our latest article. Read it 👇
tinyurl.com/TEIP-FUSEE

Fix Our Forests in Name Only A new piece of bipartisan legislation would erode safeguards meant to protect trees

Word on Capitol Hill is that Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) "has a lot of momentum to pass" and is basically fait accompli.

But given Trumpists' anti-democracy/anti-environment crusade, expect protest from wildland firefighters who say "Not in our name, you don't!"

www.sierraclub.org/sierra/fix-o...

On the Roadless Rule: “The historical evidence is clear: roads did not and do not prevent wildfires, they actually facilitate them.”

🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥
Building more roads in national forests won’t prevent wildfires by Tim Ingalsbee

Read the article 👇
columbiainsight.org/building-mor...

Donate to FUSEE — Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology

Our Firefighter Wellness Retreats are more than a week in the woods — they're a transformative experience of healing and renewal for the people on the frontlines, facing the flames. ❤

#DoubleYourImpact on firefighter wellness today by donating before the end of the year! 👉 fusee.org/donate 👈

“You’ve hooked me on this journey to help heal my community, given me a purpose more meaningful than doing the job.” - Wellness Retreat participant

You can learn more about our retreats in our latest article 👇
tinyurl.com/ff-wellness

#FirefighterWellness #GivingTuesday #FUSEE #FirefighterRetreat

Sabotage of public lands continues By now it’s clear the Trump administration is far outside public opinion in its views of Western public lands. Efforts by President Donald Trump’s ally, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah,

It's time we have the courage to name what the Trump administration is actually doing to the nation: subverting democracy and sabotaging government agencies.

The National Park Service, national parks, and public lands in general have been a prime target of Trump's saboteurs.

tinyurl.com/yerj3m7r

Cultural burning is ‘a better way’: Secwépemc firekeeper | The Narwhal As B.C. wildfires worsen, leading Secwépemc firekeeper Joe Gilchrist says cultural burning ‘needs to be multiplied hundreds of times’

As B.C.‘s climate changes and wildfires increase, Secwépemc firekeeper Joe Gilchrist wants to see the practice of prescribed burning expanded in the Interior.

An on-the-ground feature first shared by our friends at @indiginews.bsky.social
thenarwhal.ca/cultural-bur...

12 Hours in the Smoke Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. The government says they are protected. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying.

Even the NY Times is talking about wildland firefighter safety and wellness!

Read about it 👇
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Amid climate impacts, leading Secwépemc firekeeper shares ‘a better way of looking after the land’ | iNFOnews.ca In a time of worsening wildfires, Joe Gilchrist says cultural burning ‘needs to be multiplied hundreds of times’ — returning to Indigenous stewardship.

Different burn cycles for different landscapes: every 15 years, or seven years, four years, two years… It depends. infonews.ca/news/7435899...