Red-Card-Holding Individuals Are Qualified to Prevent and Respond to Wildfire Incidents.
Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Colorado U.S. Representatives Jeff Hurd, Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to reinstate the roughly 3000 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) staff who hold Incident Qualification Cards, commonly called red cards, ahead of peak wildfire season. Red cards are issued to USFS staff who complete the required training, experience, and physical fitness test to respond to wildfire incidents outside their full-time jobs.
“As you know, the U.S. Forest Service is vital to Colorado and the American West. Our national forests have an extensive backlog of forest health and wildfire prevention needs. Notwithstanding the Administration’s stated intention to exempt firefighters from its layoffs, we wanted to write to make sure you are aware that many Forest Service employees who have been laid off across the West are, in fact, red-card-holding (i.e. critical firefighting) staff. The layoff of red-card holding Forest Service employees has substantially weakened our nation’s firefighting workforce,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers estimate that since January, the Forest Service has lost roughly 3,000 red-card holders across the country.
“The Forest Service is now entering peak fire season in a compromised position, placing an even greater fire danger on communities across Colorado. The loss of red card holders threatens public safety, undercuts local economies, and undermines years of local wildfire prevention efforts. We urge you to restore the Forest Service red-card holders without delay,” concluded the lawmakers.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Rollins:
As you know, the U.S. Forest Service is vital to Colorado and the American West. Our national forests have an extensive backlog of forest health and wildfire prevention needs. Notwithstanding the Administration’s stated intention to exempt firefighters from its layoffs, we wanted to write to make sure you are aware that many Forest Service employees who have been laid off across the West are, in fact, red-card-holding (i.e. critical firefighting) staff. The layoff of red-card holding Forest Service employees has substantially weakened our nation’s firefighting workforce.
Red-card-carrying Forest Service staff have the skills, training, and qualifications to support wildfire response (and, indeed, fight wildfires), but hold other full-time jobs at the agency. Red card holders are the backbone of federal firefighting efforts, proving critical support and added capacity when a wildfire breaks out. We estimate, since January, the Forest Service has lost roughly 3,000 red-card holders across the country.
The Forest Service is now entering peak fire season in a compromised position, placing an even greater fire danger on communities across Colorado. The loss of red card holders threatens public safety, undercuts local economies, and undermines years of local wildfire prevention efforts. We urge you to restore the Forest Service red-card holders without delay.
Thank you for your willingness to consider our request. Please call if any of us can provide more useful detail.