A draft executive order under consideration by the White House proposes sweeping changes to the way wildland firefighting is organized and flown in the U.S., including the creation of a National Wildland Fire Agency and the prioritization of U.S.-based assets.
The draft, shared by Vertical Aviation International (VAI) among its members, calls for the immediate restructuring of the national wildland firefighting system to enable a “rapid and aggressive” response by summer 2025.
“The priority will be the immediate suppressing of fires and protecting our communities and critical infrastructure,” the draft executive order states.
Included in this is the establishment of a national wildland firefighting task force that will spearhead the effort, with the authority to cut across all federal agencies.
“The task force will coordinate with state and local fire agencies to enhance capabilities, capacity, and readiness to leverage the workforce of our federal, tribal, state and local fire service,” the draft continues.
It calls for the departments of Agriculture and Interior and Homeland Security to establish programs for mechanic apprenticeships and training, and for “third-party certification” of aircraft and pilots.
It asks agencies responsible for wildland firefighting to immediately suspend — on a temporary basis — a range of existing requirements that the draft executive order says prevent rapid response to wildfires, including the requirement for aircraft managers to be assigned to assets in order for them to be dispatched, and the suspension of lowest price technically acceptable award criteria for contracts.
Meanwhile, long-term contracts will be maximized, U.S.-based assets prioritized over foreign assets, and incident commanders given the ability to suspend aerial supervision standards to allow firefighting to be “as prompt as possible.”
The draft also directs the U.S. Forest Service to accept Federal Aviation Administration standards for certification “to eliminate duplicative aircraft carding and inspections.”
Finally, the draft asks for the process to establish a National Wildland Fire Agency to begin, with the aim of having it in place by 2026.
In a post on its website, VAI said it is “actively reviewing the draft EO and will continue to engage with federal agencies and industry partners to ensure its members’ voices are heard during this restructuring of federal wildland firefighting efforts.”
The association is encouraging its members to contact its operations team with questions or comments.
