Federal funding cuts strain wildfire prevention efforts in Inland Northwest

SPOKANE, Wash. — With wildfire season just a few months away, firefighting teams across the Inland Northwest are struggling to adequately prepare after federal funding cuts have left them short-staffed.

In February, the Trump Administration laid off thousands of U.S. Forest Service positions, leaving local crews to scrounge for personnel and resources.

“To prevent and be ready and respond requires everyone – local fire districts, the state Department of Natural Resources and the federal government. And when there’s chaos and disruption in the federal government, it just means the rest of us have to step up more,” said Dave Upthegrove, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. “

Spokane County Fire District 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach said coordination between different agencies extends beyond just those battling flames on the front lines.

“[It takes] logistics, finances, public information and planning to build the incident action plans,” he said.

Many of those roles were previously held by U.S. Forest Service workers. Now, fire response crews are looking for ways to fill the gaps.

The impact of these federal workforce reductions could be significant during major fire events. During the Gray Fire in 2023, Chief Rohrbach served on the Incident Management Team, where he witnessed the critical importance of support personnel who provided more than 1,000 firefighters with essential resources like food, water and shelter.

“We’re seeing continued strain on those resources. When you combine that with less resource availability, and it could certainly have impact on suppression efforts in the upcoming year,” Rohrbach said.

Despite these challenges, Upthegrove maintains optimism about the region’s preparedness for this year’s fire season. However, he stressed the importance of public involvement in prevention efforts.

“Folks can go to WildfireReady.org, a website that The Department of Natural Resources provides,” Upthegrove said. “Preventing wildfires and preparing for them really is up to all of us as individuals.”

For more information on how you can prepare and keep yourself and your loved one safe, visit www.wildfireready.org.