Bipartisan alarm comes as California faces extreme heat and fire risk and continues to battle the Gifford Fire, the largest wildfire so far this year, and other blazes
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) are urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to increase the firefighting capacity at the United States Forest Service (USFS) as staffing shortages persist and as California faces extreme heat warnings and wildfire season continues across the Western United States.
The Senators urged Secretary Rollins in a letter to increase the number of Incident Qualification Cards – commonly referred to as “Red Cards” – for wildland firefighters operating at USFS. The Red Card is an essential credential for any firefighter participating in interagency wildland 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,” the Senators wrote.
“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 continued.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Secretary Rollins,
We write to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure an adequate level of Incident Qualification Cards—commonly referred to as “Red Cards”—including through their issuance and renewal, for wildland firefighters operating at the United States Forest Service (USFS).
The Red Card is an essential credential for any firefighter participating in interagency wildland fire operations, including those under the USFS. Without current certification, even experienced and fully trained individuals are sidelined at a time when every available resource counts.
As the 2025 wildfire season intensifies, timely certification is critical to ensuring that qualified firefighting personnel can be mobilized without delay. Unfortunately, over the years, 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. These delays are not only creating operational gaps but also placing additional strain on already-deployed responders. We remain committed to the expeditious rollout of Red Cards and to adequate staffing at USFS to efficiently respond to this fire season.
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. If we can be helpful in this effort, please let us know how; we stand ready to work with USDA and USFS to ensure a satisfactory number of trained and ready firefighters can be on the line when needed.
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