The Department of the Interior (DOI) issued Secretary’s Order 3443 earlier this month, establishing the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) with implementation planned for Jan. 2026. The announcement fulfills Executive Order 14308, Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response, which directs federal agencies to modernize wildfire management nationwide.
The new service will unify the DOI’s existing wildfire bureaus under a single entity to streamline prevention efforts and improve response times to dangerous fires. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued Secretarial Memorandum 1078-017 to modernize its wildfire response systems. The two departments will coordinate on policy, research and procurement related to wildfire operations.
Officials said current systems are outdated and fragmented, causing delays and management problems during fire emergencies. The coordinated approach under the USWFS is meant to eliminate these inefficiencies and create a more effective federal wildfire response system.
Along with creating the USWFS, the plan highlights five major areas of reform. These include:
- Addressing systemic inefficiencies and modernizing aviation and coordination systems.
- Strengthening interagency wildfire coordination and response.
- Improving federal partnerships and reducing administrative burden.
- Ensuring wildfire research, technology and IT investments are mission-ready.
- Integrating pre- and post-fire activities into a complete wildfire strategy.
To address systemic inefficiencies, the new wildland service will consolidate predictive services and upgrade them to have national intelligence capabilities. It will also establish a joint federal aircraft service to fight wildfires.
To strengthen interagency wildfire coordination and response, the plan focuses on workforce improvements and standardization across agencies. The departments will modernize and adjust qualifications and training requirements to better reflect current wildfire challenges. The plan also calls for standardizing the Emergency Firefighter Program. Officials said the changes will standardize protocols and improve response capabilities across agencies and regions.
The third reform area looks to improve federal partnerships while reducing the administrative burden on cooperating agencies. Officials plan to streamline cooperative agreements between federal, state, tribal and local governments to eliminate bureaucratic delays during emergencies. The plan also establishes a joint contracting, procurement and payment center, which should simplify the process for acquiring resources and services needed during wildfire operations.
Technology and research investments represent the fourth major reform priority, with plans to modernize IT systems and safety equipment. The departments will build a unified Wildfire Enterprise IT System to improve communication and data sharing between agencies. The plan also includes updating personal protective equipment standards to better protect firefighters.
The final reform area integrates activities before and after fires into a comprehensive strategy rather than treating them as separate operations. Officials plan to launch a unified wildfire risk mapping tool to help identify high-risk areas and prioritize prevention efforts.
The plan establishes a consistent Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation framework for post-fire recovery work and expands programs to beneficially use biomass and forest products, which can help reduce fuel loads that contribute to dangerous fire conditions.
The USWFS implementation will begin in January 2026, with full reforms expected to roll out over the following months. According to officials, the success of the plan depends on continued congressional funding through fiscal year 2026 budget appropriations. Interior officials plan to gather input from state, tribal and local governments as well as private sector partners during the implementation process.
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