Federal agency only owes $4 million to local fire departments amid improper invoices
Federal agency only owes $4 million to local fire departments amid improper invoices
21 July 2017
published by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com
USA – SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County fire departments arent sending firefighters to U.S. Forest Service wildfires. But in response to claims the federal government owes $18 million to Californias local fire departments that fought wildfires on U.S. Forest Service lands, U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell wrote a letter to the state, saying $4 million remains unpaid.
Forest Service is responsible for fire management on national parks and national grasslands.
Santa Cruz and other counties have firefighter strike teams trained to fight wildfires. Those firefighters deploy to provide mutual aid throughout the state.
Three years ago, fire chiefs in Santa Cruz County decided not to provide firefighting for Forest Service wildfires because they didnt receive payment for volunteer firefighters helping to fight wildfires managed by the Forest Service.
The volunteer agencies are taking a stand. We cant afford to send people out when theyre not being paid, Scotts Valley and Branciforte Fire Protection Chief Dan Grebil said.
Although there is no Forest Service-managed land in Santa Cruz County, the federal agency in previous years was contracting to send firefighters to wildfires in other jurisdictions.
However, because there have been no problems receiving payments from Cal OES-managed wildfires, the countys firefighters actively support, and are participating in, state wildland fire management throughout California during a busy fire season.
Gerbil said the Forest Service has withheld payments to local departments. As a result, he said the local fire departments will not change their stance unless the Forest Service changes its payment rules.
Santa Cruz County fire departments no longer are sought by the Forest Service for mutual aid because of the local rule established three years ago.
We havent done an inventory on how many counties arent sending firefighters to Forest Service fires, Gerbil said. He also said there have been many paid fire departments sending firefighters to Forest Service fires because the federal agency pays paid firefighters at regular rates they receive at home.
Were not saying no to federal fires, Gerbil said. Were saying no, specifically, to Forest Service fires.
STATE RESPONDS
In Tidwells letter to Cal OES, the states Office of Emergency Services, on July 11, he said the Forest Service is processing half the existing debts of $4 million and assessing the rest to ensure they are valid debts.
The approximately $2 million that remains do not have sufficient documentation or invoices from Cal OES to ensure they meet audit and assurance requirements, Tidwell wrote.
Tidwell also recommended Cal OES to develop a seamless system of tracking the reams of invoices that are often delayed in the mail.
The state could improve efficiency by developing a collaborative web-based submittal, tracking, monitoring and payment system for better in-process visibility for payments to local governments, Tidwell wrote.
The question of funding local firefighters aid to wildfires has been part of a years-long discussion.
The federal government also conducted an audit that analyzed fiscal years 2008 to 2012 and assessed how the Forest Service funds local agencies for mutual aid on wildfires.
It was determined the Forest Service was overpaying local governments during that period and controls needed to be in place to ensure that did not occur again, Tidwell wrote.
Portugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCp
