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Trump Plans to Merge Wildland Firefighting Efforts Into One Agency, but Ex-Officials Warn of Chaos

The Trump administration intends to consolidate federal fire management operations currently spread across multiple agencies into one entity within the Interior Department during the active 2025 fire season.
This reorganization will unify firefighting responsibilities currently dispersed across multiple agencies and two separate Cabinet-level departments, while also coinciding with substantial reductions in personnel anticipated in early 2025.
Last year, more than 65,000 wildfires scorched nearly 9 million acres across the U.S., and so far in 2025, over 1 million acres have been affected in several states as climate change continues to intensify fire conditions.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized the goal of increasing the number of firefighters actively combating fires while reducing the reliance on individuals manually deciding how to distribute resources and personnel, in order to improve the efficiency of firefighting efforts.
Former officials and firefighter groups warn that restructuring during fire season could cause chaos, increase fire risks, disrupt prevention efforts, and cost billions without disclosed savings.

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Trump Administration Proposes Massive Overhaul of U.S. Wildfire Response

President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to merge the government’s wildland firefighting efforts into a single agency, a move some former federal officials warn could increase the risk of catastrophic blazes and ultimately cost billions of dollars. Trump’s budget would centralize firefighting efforts now split among five agencies and two Cabinet departments into a single Federal Wildland Fire Service under the U.S. Interior Department. …

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Trump plans to merge wildland firefighting efforts into one agency

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