Oregon and Washington senators sound alarm on reassignment of Public Information Officers ahead of wildfire season
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., today demanded the Trump administration immediately reinstate 13 federal employees in Oregon and Washington state who received “reassignment letters” terminating their roles at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in May, with no apparent plan at the start of fire season to replace them.
The employees worked in BLM district offices as Public Affairs Officers or Public Information Officers often tasked with communicating life-saving information to communities about fire conditions and evacuations. Some of the employees were also designated ‘red card’ holders, qualifying them to support wildland firefighting operations.
“It is extremely concerning that there are now zero on-the-ground, district level personnel to communicate critical public safety information to our constituents, the media, and local officials,” the senators wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “Removing these employees…at the very start of fire season with no apparent plan to replace them leaves communities across our states without the information and resources they need to stay safe during fires; this may have life-threatening consequences.”
With record low snowpack and worsening drought, Oregon and Washington are facing a potentially historic wildfire season. Budget and staffing cuts by the Trump administration have left much of the West without the necessary resources and firefighting personnel it needs to prepare for and battle fires. These most recent cuts will make it even harder for local communities across Oregon and Washington to get up-to-date information about fires and evacuation notices.
In the words of one whistleblower, “As a long serving, fire-qualified member of the wildland fire community, I am deeply concerned by the loss of experienced, on-the-ground communicators from BLM district offices at the start of fire season. Public Affairs Specialists and Public Information Officers are not simply media contacts, they are trained members of the incident response system who help ensure communities receive timely evacuation notices, safety information, and updates during rapidly evolving emergencies.
Removing experienced fire-qualified personnel from these roles means losing decades of institutional knowledge, local relationships, and wildfire response experience when those skills are needed most. As Oregon and Washington face the potential for another severe fire season, reducing the capacity to communicate critical public safety information risks leaving communities less informed and less prepared during emergencies. Public information is a core component of wildfire response and weakening that capability has real consequences for public safety.”
Text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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