Schiff, Curtis Urge USDA to Boost Firefighting Capacity

Happening in real time as we approach the holiday weekend, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff of California and Senator John Curtis of Utah are pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to strengthen wildfire response capacity. According to a release from Senator Schiff’s office, the senators this week sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighting staffing shortages at the U.S. Forest Service and urging an increase in the issuance of “Red Cards.” These Incident Qualification Cards certify wildland firefighters for interagency operations and are essential for deployment during high fire activity.

The senators warned that persistent backlogs in Red Card processing are slowing the ability of federal, state, and contract crews to mobilize quickly. With extreme heat warnings in place and hazardous wildfire conditions already emerging across the West, they stressed that timely certification is critical to ensuring resources are ready when needed most. As they noted, firefighters facing increasingly dangerous and complex conditions deserve administrative systems that keep pace with the urgency of their mission.