National Policy Effects on the Forest Service

Dear Community,

In light of recent events and the flurry of media headlines of varying truthfulness and accuracy, I want to share some inside perspective on one particular issue that affects us here personally in a major way. I have tried to keep this as objective as I can and urge all of you, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, to read thoroughly and trust that these are the facts as I, a former Tahoe National Forest employee, know them to be. You as members of the public and especially as those who live in the middle of National Forest, have a right to know the truth.

The numbers given so far of Forest Service employees who have been suddenly terminated this past week are staggering, and that does not even include contractors or partner employees whose funds are also currently frozen. I want you to know that a large number of these people whose jobs have been lost, and more who may be lost in the near future, are not high up, corrupt government agency officials. This move on a national scale is not “draining the swamp” as many headlines would like you to believe. We are your neighbors. We are largely local employees who do a majority of the work on the ground every day on Tahoe National Forest and many others to keep it safe and healthy for recreation, multiple uses, and most importantly as our home. You know and love some of us personally. Some of us grew up here. Some of us have been returning as temporary seasonal employees year after year because we love this Forest so much. Some were just finally hired as a permanent seasonal employee- only to be let go now, not because of low performance or lack of dedication, but because the one-year probationary period that begins once someone is hired to a permanent position had not yet been completed. Our many years of previous season as high-performing temporary employees did not count towards that one year. Some of us had a matter of weeks or even days before that one-year probationary period was through, only to end up jobless now with little warning.

I share this not to ask you to feel sorry for us, but to make sure that you know how big of an impact this is going to have on this place that we all love. These mass layoffs are leaving our already high-risk communities on Tahoe National Forest even more vulnerable to the wildfire crisis. I keep seeing these job cuts announced in a way that seems to highlight that most, if not all of the jobs being targeted so far are “non-fire” employees and this is incredibly misleading to you in the general public. While these positions may not be officially categorized as wildfire jobs and our job titles are not “Firefighter”, many of us are also trained and fire qualified, part of what we internally refer to as “Militia”. This means that while fire is not our full-time job, we could functionally perform as a firefighter in the event of an incident right here at home or to temporarily fill an empty spot on a crew for a 2-week assignment helping on a fire somewhere else. Wild firefighting also has many crucial jobs that aren’t what you stereotypically think of when you hear the word “firefighter”. There are GIS experts mapping the fire and the fireline to pass on to the people on the ground, ensuring they have the most updated information. There are logistics and finance roles, camp security, and so many more roles that are often filled by these “non-fire” employees when a major incident breaks out. And even still, those of us being terminated that might not be qualified for such roles during an actual fire are putting a majority of our time and resources toward important fire PREVENTION and fuels reduction work around our National Forests. With so many people gone, far less of this severely needed work is going to get done and these Firefighters remaining with jobs, who seem to be so routinely praised as heroes only when we see stories like those from LA this winter, these firefighters who have already been overworked and underpaid for years, are being set up to be overworked even harder and with increased potential with even more and worse fires to deal with.

All of this is happening right now, right in front of us, and we should all be angry about it and screaming from the rooftops that it is not okay to leave us so vulnerable, just waiting to burn. We all need to take care of ourselves, take care of our neighbors, and support each other in our community in whatever ways we possibly can because times are hard, harder times seem to be ahead, and it has become exceedingly clear to me that if we don’t, perhaps no one else will.

Sincerely,

A Friend

(Former Tahoe National Forest employee, verified by The Mountain Messenger)