Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Utah faces a busier wildfire season amid federal firefighter cuts, raising concerns.
- Meteorologist warns late monsoons could increase fire risks, worsening the situation.
- Gov. Spencer Cox remains confident, but experts fear understaffing may strain firefighting efforts.
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah's on track for a busier wildfire season. At the same time, cuts on the federal level could mean fewer firefighters and fewer resources are at the ready to help the state respond.
Fire forecasters are keeping a close eye on the weather as last year's growth becomes this year's problem. Monsoons coming in too late or too weak could raise fire risk above normal, said Basil Newmerzhycky, a meteorologist with Great Basin Predictive Services.
"If they stay dry until the end of July or early August, that's an extra two or three weeks that those fuels can get extra crispy and fires that are ongoing can grow even larger," Newmerzhycky said.
The federal government is preparing to fight larger fires with fewer employees.
In February the Trump Administration cut 3,400 probationary employees from the U.S. Forest Service. None were full-time firefighters, but many were reserves. A court ruling restored their jobs, at least temporarily, but the Forest Service isn't saying how many are still there.
Riva Duncan, who retired in 2020 after more than 30 years with the Forest Service, said she's all for trimming bloat. But she believes the federal cuts go too far and are more severe than the official numbers suggest.
"I hope that I'm wrong about the capacity issue," said Duncan, now vice president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. "I don't know how that we can ignore it when we know the numbers are already down. We know we don't have the people."
KSL asked the governor if he's worried about the same issue.
"I don't have concerns when it comes to fire," Cox responded. "We have bipartisan support and the president has been very supportive as well. When I met with him back in January, we talked specifically about the fires. He'd been out in California and was very supportive of making sure we have additional resources to get that done."
Related:
Utah's wildfire risks require 'continuous readiness,' new state report finds
Utah needs a combination of ongoing wildfire prevention education, funding for various projects and "seamless coordination" between agencies to help combat the threat of "large, catastrophic fires" in the state.But a new state report out this week, commissioned by Cox, does express concern. The document says "potential federal budget cuts, particularly to the U.S. Forest Service programs, jeopardize critical efforts and personnel."
Still, Cox and Utah fire managers are projecting confidence, saying they're fully staffed on the state level and entering the season as normal. They said they're well equipped to fight fire from above with a "helitack" program and airtankers to drop water and firefighting chemicals.
Come later this summer, as fire season reaches its usual peak, Duncan said that sense of security may go away.
"When we're calling on Canada, and when we're calling on Australia to help boost our workforce," Duncan said. "I think we're going to see then the effects of, you know, fewer folks out there to help."
