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As wildfire season continues across the West, some agencies are not tracking, and others are not sharing, COVID-19 cases among firefighters. Since social distancing is extremely difficult in wildland firefighting, contact tracing and testing is essential to preventing mass coronavirus outbreaks. The U.S. Forest Service, which manages over 10,000 firefighters and two-thirds of the country's fire resources, does not know how many coronavirus cases there are among wildland fire fighters. “If a significant number of wildland firefighters are out sick with COVID that is information needed by people on the ground so they can make informed decisions about how to approach managing fires," explains Samantha Montano, an expert in emergency management. Other agencies, such as the National Park Service, declined to share any information on cases.
State agencies are more transparent about coronavirus cases and established testing and tracing procedures. However, as wildland firefighters from different agencies convene at large fires, disparate practices will make effective emergency management difficult.
Trump to sign landmark conservation bill today
President Trump is expected to sign the Great American Outdoors Act today, a bipartisan bill that passed by significant, veto-proof margins in the House and the Senate. The bill will ensure permanent full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address the maintenance backlog on public lands.
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The Senate faces a moral choice: confirm a bigoted and divisive extremist or stand in solidarity with the American people who want our government and our public lands accessible to all.”
