Joint Statement from United Aerial Firefighters Association and National Wildfire Suppression Association Calls for Urgent Congressional Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. January 14, 2025 — Leading firefighter associations today called on Congress to implement immediate, sweeping reforms to America’s wildfire defense system, warning that the nation faces unprecedented risks without comprehensive federal action.
Citing the devastating Los Angeles fires that have already caused $50 billion in damages, firefighting leaders emphasized that the current annual national investment of less than $10 billion in wildfire response is drastically insufficient to protect American communities.
“The catastrophic wildfires in California aren’t just a local emergency – they expose a critical vulnerability in America’s domestic defense,” said Debbie Miley, Executive Director, National Wildfire Suppression Association. “While California has built professional rapid-response capabilities, even these elite forces are overwhelmed by extreme fire behavior. Most states remain dangerously unprepared.”
The associations outlined three critical actions required from Congress:
- Establish a National Fire Response Standard matching existing protocols for structure fires
- Mandate and fund comprehensive community protection in fire-prone areas
- Significantly increase federal funding for year-round response forces
The urgency of this call to action is underscored by 2024’s unprecedented fire activity, including one million acres burned in Texas during February and over 60,000 fires consuming more than eight million acres nationwide. With 44 million U.S. homes at risk in the Wildland-Urban Interface, the associations stress that investment in prevention is crucial for protecting American lives and livelihoods.
“The choice facing Congress is stark,” added Paul Petersen, Executive Director, United Aerial Firefighters Association. “Fund comprehensive wildfire defense now, or watch more communities burn while emergency responders do their best with insufficient resources. The time for congressional action isn’t next fire season – it’s now.”
The associations note that communities affected by wildfires face long-term consequences including contaminated drinking water, toxic air quality, and devastated local economies that may take decades to recover.
About United Aerial Firefighters Association
Established in late 2022, the United Aerial Firefighters Association is the only comprehensive trade association dedicated to aerial firefighting. The UAFA brings together the most experienced industry experts to provide a strong and coordinated voice for the entire aerial firefighting community to inform policymakers and legislators about important issues concerning aerial wildland firefighting matters.
www.uafa.org
About National Wildfire Suppression Association
NWSA represents 369 member companies in 26 United States, Canada, and Australia. Our industry, which has existed since the late 70s and early 80s, can field up to 11,000 professionally trained seasonal wildland firefighters and 18,000 pieces of equipment. NWSA member company resources are made available through contracts or agreements with federal, state, and local entities, allowing them to dispatch nationally.
National Wildfire Suppression Association
