After mass layoffs and deferred resignation offers hollowed out a large part of the U.S. Forest Service earlier this year, federal firefighters have been left to pick up the slack — some now clean toilets while others mow lawns around ranger stations. Some employees said firefighters have been prevented from joining fire suppression efforts because of these new responsibilities.
The Forest Service currently lacks the manpower it needs to manage the worsening wildfire crisis, according to its own website. But the staffing situation may be even more dire than advertised. The agency claimed it has exceeded its hiring goal for wildland firefighters. But internal data, first reported by ProPublica and reviewed by Capital & Main, showed thousands of vacant firefighter positions across the country — including in forests currently battling blazes.
