U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) have called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address staffing shortages within the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) as Utah faces nearly ten major wildfires and other Western states confront similar threats during the wildfire season.
In a letter sent this week to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, the senators urged an increase in the issuance and renewal of Incident Qualification Cards, known as “Red Cards,” which are required credentials for wildland firefighters involved in interagency fire operations.
“As the 2025 wildfire season intensifies, timely certification is critical to ensuring that qualified firefighting personnel can be mobilized without delay. Unfortunately, the persistent backlogs in Red Card processing are impairing the ability of our states and other Western states to deploy federal, state, and contract crews during periods of high fire activity,” wrote Curtis and Schiff.
They continued: “Our wildland firefighters are working in increasingly hazardous and complex conditions as we have already seen this year. Those putting their lives on the line deserve efficient administrative systems that match the urgency and importance of their mission.”
The senators emphasized that without current Red Card certification, even experienced firefighters may not be able to respond during peak demand periods, creating operational gaps and additional strain on deployed crews. They expressed commitment to supporting faster processing of certifications and adequate USFS staffing throughout this fire season.
Curtis and Schiff offered further cooperation with USDA and USFS to ensure enough trained firefighters are available when needed.
Additional coverage is available at Politico: Senators urge USDA to bolster wildland firefighting.
