Can privatized firefighters protect us during tight budgets?
Can privatized firefighters protect us during tight budgets?
04 October 2013
published by http://news.yahoo.com
USA — From July through September, deadly forest fires raged throughout the western United States, setting records for size, damage and in some cases, loss of life. With shrinking national, state and local budgets, the situation seems dire indeed, especially as Washington, D.C., eyes more spending cuts.
“Each year, I say this is the worst year we’ve ever had,” said Lee Miller, a veteran firefighter, in an interview. “And it keeps getting worse from year to year.”
Could privatized firefighters be the solution, or could they leave most Americans feeling slighted?
Whether it’s a blaze in Arizona in July that killed 19 firefighters from Prescott, or a forest fire that destroyed thousands of homes in Idaho in August, or a record-setting wildfire in California that threatened Yosemite this month, fiery headlines and images dominated the news headlines.
At the same time, thanks to budget cuts, the Forestry Service, additional federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, and local agencies have had to slash firefighting capabilities, producing potential tinder for a political and economic inferno.
Privatized firefighters: a budget crisis solution or more resources for the rich?
News coverage of the Idaho conflagration focused on insurance companies dispatching private crews to protect wealthy vacation homes. While reassuring that privatized firefighters are getting involved, it must be worrisome to anyone with a home significantly less in value than what a Hollywood actor could afford. Will only the wealthy receive privatized firefighter protection?
“Not at all,” said Debbie Miley, the executive director of the National Wildfire Suppression Association, in an interview. Miley dispelled many more myths about privatized firefighting crews, which have come to dominate the wildfire landscape. Nearly 90 percent of those battling the Idaho inferno were private crews, and more than 40 percent of those who fight fires in Oregon are privatized firefighters.
“This trend goes back to the 1980s we had a downturn,” Miley said. “Many folks with prior forestry experience at prescribed burnings and post-logging operations found themselves out of work. At the same time, there was still a demand for their services. That’s when companies started hiring these experienced workers.”
But are these private sector firefighters trained as well as Forest Service firefighters?
“We are trained to the same standards as the Forestry Service,” Miley said. “We have to pass inspection on some strict requirements, as well as state and local requirements. In fact, many of our members used to work with the Forestry Service. We work with ground crews, the bulldozers, etc.”
Miller, the president of the Miller Timber Services, agreed. “You can’t tell the difference between us and the Forestry Service. Everyone’s wearing green and yellow, following the same protocols.”
What about those privatized firefighting groups from insurance companies? What role are they playing?
“Insurance companies hire groups who are ‘foamers,’ spraying fire retardant upon some of the homes to protect them,” Miley said. “They’re not the same group as ours is.”
Why the demand for firefighters is so great
The fire season seems to be getting worse every year. Both Miley and Miller had some thoughts about why.
“Every year, the fire prevention spending goes down and the firefighting budget goes up,” Miley said. “Money would be saved if more was put into preventing fires before they appeared.”
Miller said politics is playing a role in preventing procedures like brush clearing and fuels treatment. “People are trying to protect the forest, but it’s like spoiling a child. All they are doing is protecting the fires.”
Time is running out for preparations to prevent future fires in scorched areas. According the Associated Press, the coming rain and snow season could wash away the remains of the recent Sierra Nevada fire, complicating future reforestation.
But whether the decision to replant trees or let the process occur naturally, settling for initial scrub brush and smaller trees, privatized fire groups are likely to be involved in the process, especially as additional budget cuts are looming out of Washington.
