Many people throughout the country and especially in Southern California have been worried about the potential ramifications of the current federal staffing reductions. Less Internal Revenue Service agents may result in less revenue and a larger deficit. But closer to the Hill, and especially after the disastrous Los Angeles County fires last month, plenty of residents and visitors worry about the summer fire season.

Will there be enough firefighters to combat the blazes that often ignite on or near the Hill?

Wildland firefighting positions are exempt from the current round of staff reductions and operational readiness remains the Agency’s priority.

The fretting can stop, according to a spokesperson for the new Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, and the U.S. Forest Service, “Hiring freeze exemptions exist for critical health and safety positions. Over 1,000 U.S. Forest Service firefighter positions were approved last week, with more currently under review. Protecting the people and communities we serve, as well as the infrastructure, businesses, and resources they depend on to grow and thrive, remains a top priority for the USDA and the Forest Service.”

However, the same source stated that about 2,000 probationary non-firefighter employees in the USFS have been released. Which National Forests have been affected has not yet been released.

“Secretary Rollins fully supports the President’s directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA’s many services to the American people. . .”, he stressed. “Secretary Rollins is committed to preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted.”