FUSEE: Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology
FUSEE does public education and policy advocacy promoting safe, ethical, ecological wildland fire management.
We support wildland firefighter safety and wellness, Indigenous sovereignty/ cultural burning, and fire management for ecosystem resilience.
- A virtual townhall meeting for DOI firefighters is happening today to answer questions about the mission & organizational structure of the USWFS. Since planning for the USWFS has been a top-down, top-secret affair, there are more questions than answers! www.vox.com/climate/4777...
- Dr. Dave Calkin, retired USFS wildland fire scientist, gave great testimony at today's House hearing on FOFA. Among his best: "There is no substitute for fire in our wildlands. We need fire in those landscapes." FOFA's logging agenda denies that vital fact. insideclimatenews.org/news/0302202...
- "At FireGeneration Collaborative, [Kyle Trefny and Ryan Reed] are reimagining fire culture to support a more diverse workforce while centering Indigenous leadership." FireGen's co-founder Kyle Trefny was highlighted in Lookout Euguene-Springfield 🔥 lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/enviro...
- Trump signed the FY26 Interior Appropriations bill into law, but Congress explicitly refused to fund his new agency, the US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS). Regardless, Trump charges ahead with his unfunded mandate in defiance of Congress, robbing Peter to pay Paul. Will Congress uphold the law?
- The Fix Our Forests Act is a mixed bag of good, bad, and ugly forest management provisions. Before we can "fix" our forests, we need to fix our fires. Shift the paradigm from extractive logging & reactive firefighting to proactive prescribed & cultural burning. www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...
- Word of a federal court ruling against U.S. Forest Service's use of categorical exclusions for logging schemes in the name of "wildfire prevention" is spreading. We need more science-backed analysis, public input, and legal accountability in the USFS, not less. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
- A federal court decision could throw cold water on the Fix Our Forests Act. Categorical exclusions (CEs) are about plundering public lands with less scientific analysis, informed public input, or legal oversight when we actually need more of all that. insideclimatenews.org/news/2101202...
- The Trump admin is creating and funding its new agency, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, in defiance of Congress and without any expert or external input. It is leaping before looking, flying by the seat of its pants, making it all up as it goes along. www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-gov...
- Congress refused to fund Trump's consolidation of federal fire programs, but he thinks changing the word from consolidation to "unification" gives the "Unitary Executive" a blank check to spend Interior Appropriations as he wishes. Word games conning the Congress! capitalpress.com/2026/01/14/i...
- Trump's new U.S. Wildland Fire Service is poaching firefighters from other federal agencies. This robs agencies of workers who steward public lands when they are not fighting fires, and it cuts off the USWFS from the federal "fire militia." Dumb move! www.eenews.net/articles/int...
- The Trump admin forges ahead creating a new federal agency, the US Wildland Fire Service, despite Congress pointedly refusing to fund it. With no input going in and little info coming out, the whole thing is a risky investment lacking accountability. insideclimatenews.org/news/2001202...
- Congress has wisely refused to fund Trump's decreed consolidation of federal wildland fire programs into a new agency, the USWFS. Regardless, the DOI officially launched this new agency. Firefighters are now being transferred over, but what will be their mission? www.doi.gov/pressrelease...
- "The astonishing thing is not that Los Angeles burns but that so much of its development has enhanced rather than blunted the threat from fire,” said Stephen Pyne, FUSEE Advisory Council member. 🔥FUSEE in the News🔥 'Which City Burns Next' in The New York Times. Read about it 👇 tinyurl.com/nytfusee
- We're in Eugene Weekly's Giving Guide! Thank you for featuring us ❤️ Check it out: eugeneweekly.com/2025/12/18/g... Donate: fusee.org/donate
- “The wildland fire community is freaked out beyond alarm… by all the defunding and downsizing and disruption caused by the DOGE dudes,” said Tim Ingalsbee, FUSEE's Executive Director, about Fire Consolidation. 🔥FUSEE in the News🔥 Read the article 👇 insideclimatenews.org/news/1612202...
- The “No Man’s Yellow” Fire Shirt 💛 Sasha White, the creator of “No Man’s Yellow,” uses silk noil fabric and natural dyes, focusing on a fit that works better for female bodies as opposed to standard-issued Nomex that contains PFAS and works best for male bodies. fusee.org/fusee/the-no...
- "The fire was not a raging force to be tamed, but a gentle, intentional presence, a relative in motion, guided by the knowledge of elders and the capable hands of the Indigenous community." Rachel Cushman and Sage Hatch talk cultural burning in our latest article. Read it 👇 tinyurl.com/TEIP-FUSEE
- Word on Capitol Hill is that Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) "has a lot of momentum to pass" and is basically fait accompli. But given Trumpists' anti-democracy/anti-environment crusade, expect protest from wildland firefighters who say "Not in our name, you don't!" www.sierraclub.org/sierra/fix-o...
- On the Roadless Rule: “The historical evidence is clear: roads did not and do not prevent wildfires, they actually facilitate them.” 🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥 Building more roads in national forests won’t prevent wildfires by Tim Ingalsbee Read the article 👇 columbiainsight.org/building-mor...
- “You’ve hooked me on this journey to help heal my community, given me a purpose more meaningful than doing the job.” - Wellness Retreat participant You can learn more about our retreats in our latest article 👇 tinyurl.com/ff-wellness #FirefighterWellness #GivingTuesday #FUSEE #FirefighterRetreat
- Our Firefighter Wellness Retreats are more than a week in the woods — they're a transformative experience of healing and renewal for the people on the frontlines, facing the flames. ❤ #DoubleYourImpact on firefighter wellness today by donating before the end of the year! 👉 fusee.org/donate 👈
- It's time we have the courage to name what the Trump administration is actually doing to the nation: subverting democracy and sabotaging government agencies. The National Park Service, national parks, and public lands in general have been a prime target of Trump's saboteurs. tinyurl.com/yerj3m7r
- As B.C.‘s climate changes and wildfires increase, Secwépemc firekeeper Joe Gilchrist wants to see the practice of prescribed burning expanded in the Interior. An on-the-ground feature first shared by our friends at @indiginews.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/cultural-bur...
- Even the NY Times is talking about wildland firefighter safety and wellness! Read about it 👇 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
- Different burn cycles for different landscapes: every 15 years, or seven years, four years, two years… It depends. infonews.ca/news/7435899...
- The WashPost wrote a wonderful ode to public servants & public service! The spirit of voluntarism is temporarily and partially compensating for the spiteful downsizing and defunding of federal agencies under Trumpism, but it is not a full substitute or long-term solution. tinyurl.com/bddckh2d
- 50 nations pledge at Global climate summit: "We Affirm Our Commitment To Advance a PARADIGM SHIFT: promote a global transition from reactive fire suppression toward proactive, prevention-driven, inclusive and ECOLOGICAL FIRE MANAGEMENT strategies..." Nice to see FUSEE's mission affirmed!
- Rounding up undocumented workers doing firefighting while the wildfire is uncontained and actively spreading is where ideology crosses over into insanity. The cruelty of Trump's assault on immigrant communities is amplified by its stupidity. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- “Blueberries, much like the red pine, really thrive in the presence of fire. It rejuvenates them.” www.wpr.org/news/prescri...
- "An analysis of U.S. Forest Service data by a wildland firefighter advocacy group shows that wildfire mitigation efforts in New Mexico— including prescribed burns and other hazardous fuel treatments—are down by 53% since President Donald Trump took office in January." 🔥🌏 sourcenm.com/2025/11/06/w...
- 🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥 Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act would bring big changes to national wildfire policy FUSEE said The Act "prioritizes expedited logging over ecological fire management and lacks funding for the reforms wildland firefighters need." Read the article 👇 tinyurl.com/FOFABPR
- The Northwest Forest Plan amendment process began as an effort to boost logging on national forests, but Tribal inclusion and wildfire management changed the project's trajectory. Now the Trump Admin has hit the reset button to boost logging again. Make America Clearcut Again! tinyurl.com/3v459y68
- The Fix Our Forests Act contains several progressive policy proposals that would advance Rx fire and cultural burning. But proposed restrictions on environmental analysis, public engagement, and legal accountability for fuels projects serve as a "poison pill" on the bill. tinyurl.com/mryh3trx
- Another damning report by the NYT on the smoke impacts affecting wildland firefighters. This story tracks hazardous smoke levels impacting a hotshot crew over a 12-hour night shift. Wildland firefighters put their lives, limbs, and LUNGs on the line, and need your support. tinyurl.com/3r5xe9en
- 🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥 New Wildfire Agency Launched to Streamline Federal Response "Tim Ingalsbee... cautioned that the discourse surrounding fire management appears to focus solely on its threats, rather than recognizing its role within ecosystems." Read the article 👇 tinyurl.com/FUSEESSB
- Ryan Reed (Karuk, Hupa, and Yurok) received a 2025 Indigenous Leadership Award for his work as the co-founder and program director of the FireGeneration Collaborative. ❤️ Congratulations, Ryan! #IndigenousLeadership #FUSEEFire #FireGenCollaborative #CulturalFire #LandStewardship #TribalLeadership
- 🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥 What is WA’s wildfire future? "The Trump administration is dismantling the country’s resources to guard against, fight and recover from wildfires at a time when the risk is increasing." -Tim Ingalsbee, FUSEE Executive Director Read the article 👇 tinyurl.com/SeattleTimes...
- 🔥 FUSEE in the News 🔥 Fighting Fire with Fire in @eugeneweekly.com "We need more than just a new policy, we need a new culture that welcomes all the gifts that fire brings." Read the article 👇 eugeneweekly.com/2025/10/09/f...
- Unless Congress appropriates money for federal fire consolidation, it's essentially an unfunded mandate. The final "fire con" plan is due Oct. 31st but the shutdown raises another constraint. How is Trump paying for his fantasy of a new "Fire Force"? www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-gov...
- Wildland firefighters are essential workers who will continue to work & be paid during federal shutdown. But Trump considers USFS timber sale planners to be essential workers "necessary to protect life and property." How absurd! See pgs. 19-20 of the USDA plan: www.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
- The federal government shut-down was preceded by a "shed-down" as the DOGE dudes' downsizing debacle shed 11,729 workers from DOI land management agencies. The NPS alone lost over 1/3 of its workforce before shutdown! The shut-down is thus a continuation of the shed-down. Shame on Trumplicans!
- The Trumplican Party claims that "they've done their job" and want a "clean bill" to keep the government open. FALSE: none of the 12 Appropriations bills were passed, and their Continuing Resolution simply continues the funding scheme of their hyperpartisan budget reconciliation bill.
- 🔥FUSEE in the news: 🔥 “It’s retrograde, a throwback to talking about fire purely in terms of threat, risk, danger,” Tim Ingalsbee, FUSEE Executive Director. Read more: "Burgum rolls out plan for Interior-based wildfire service" www.eenews.net/articles/bur...
- Include fire in your comment letter to protect the Roadless Rule: 1) We are failing to fully protect our communities in roaded landscapes and need to focus on those people and places first.
- 2) We should not expand suppression resources into roadless areas because it is a diversion of these resources needed for community protection. Roadless areas are more fire-resilient and are degraded by such aggressive fire suppression.
- 3) Firefighter safety is needlessly put at extra risk in roadless areas that have some of the most rugged terrain in remote areas. This endangers the lives and health of firefighters while mis-allocating important resources that should be going to protect communities.
- 4) Roadless areas are some of the best candidates for restoration led with Indigenous stewardship practices and ecological fire management.
- Last chance to protect the Roadless Rule! Comment period ends tomorrow. Submit a comment now. tinyurl.com/3f439mf8
- Lots of happy talk about fed fire consolidation from Trump Admin boasting about greater "efficiency" & "streamlining" while power gets concentrated in the hands of political appointees, & env. regs, agency budgets, & the wildland fire workforce are cut. www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-gov...
- The Dept. of Interior revealed its fire consolidation schema to create a U.S. Wildland Fire Service headed by a new "Fire Chief." The mission of the USWFS remains vague, but it centralizes administrative power in the hands of another Trump political appointee. www.eenews.net/articles/bur...
- It's comforting that Congress is finally paying attention to this issue, and federal agencies are taking some initial actions. Firefighter safety must include caring for physical and mental health, and providing long-term health care for all. internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/wildfire-fig...
- Today we give the stage to not just wildland firefighters, but all first responders who have given their lives to protect others.
- Since the creation of the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy, firefighter safety is the #1 priority on every fire incident. The concept of firefighter safety needs to include longterm health and wellness. Smoke sucks! Mask up when and where you can. www.latimes.com/science/stor...
