Red card holders are USFS employees qualified to prevent and respond to wildfire incidents
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Representatives Jeff Hurd, Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen urged Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to reinstate roughly 3,000 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) staff who hold Incident Qualification Cards (known as “red cards”) ahead of peak wildfire season. Red cards are issued to USFS staff who complete the required training and experience to help fight wildfires outside their full-time jobs.
“The layoff of red card holding Forest Service employees has substantially weakened our nation’s firefighting workforce,” urged the lawmakers. “The Forest Service is now entering peak fire season in a compromised position, placing an even greater fire danger on communities across Colorado. The loss of red card holders threatens public safety, undercuts local economies, and undermines years of local wildfire prevention efforts.”
The lawmakers estimate that since January, the administration has fired roughly 3,000 red-card holders across the country.
The text of the letter is available HERE.
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