As the 2026 wildfire season ramps up across the American West, a newly created federal agency is taking on a central role in coordinating the national response. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) — formed earlier this year by consolidating fire programs from several Department of Interior agencies — is now in its first operational fire season under its inaugural chief, Brian Fennessy.

A New Agency Built From Old Programs

The USWFS was established following a June 2025 executive order from the Trump administration directing the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to consolidate their fire programs "to the maximum degree practicable." In early 2026, Interior moved nearly 4,000 firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and other Interior agencies into the new organization.

Brian Fennessy, the agency's first chief, brings nearly five decades of wildland fire experience to the role, having worked on and eventually led interagency hotshot crews beginning in the late 1970s. "Throwing dirt is throwing dirt," Fennessy said in a recent interview. "And you know, why wouldn't there be one agency?"

Forest Service Remains Separate — For Now

The USWFS currently consolidates Interior agency fire programs, but the U.S. Forest Service — which operates the country's largest federal firefighting force, with over 11,000 firefighters expected this season — remains under the Department of Agriculture. The administration has requested full consolidation, including the Forest Service, in its FY2027 budget, but Congress rejected the same proposal for FY2026 and has requested a feasibility study.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the new agency would be "an efficient unified organization that will provide the highest level of" wildfire response and prevention capability for the nation.

FEMA Fire Prevention Grants Delayed for Some States

Amid the structural reorganization, a Washington Post analysis published May 8 found that FEMA has slowed the disbursement of Hazard Mitigation and fire prevention grants intended to help states prepare for and prevent wildfires. Several states — including California and Colorado — reported delays in receiving funds from grant programs they depend on to fund community wildfire risk reduction efforts.

The U.S. Forest Service administers a separate grant program providing approximately $250 million annually to states and local governments for emergency response and wildfire risk-reduction efforts. That program has not been reported as delayed.

Staffing and Pay Concerns Persist

Even as the new agency takes shape, concerns about firefighter pay and staffing levels remain. "There's no rest for hotshots and fire personnel across the country," said Riva Duncan of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. "They continue to work year-round with fewer resources and poor pay thanks to continued government cuts."

Pay reform efforts from recent years established a minimum wage floor for federal wildland firefighters, but advocates argue that recruitment and retention challenges persist — particularly at a time when climate-driven fire seasons are lengthening and overlapping across multiple regions simultaneously.

What It Means for the Pacific Northwest

For the Pacific Northwest, the consolidation means that BLM and National Park Service firefighters in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho now fall under USWFS command structures. The practical impacts on incident response this season remain to be seen, but fire managers emphasize that interagency coordination on the ground — which has long been a strength of Pacific Northwest fire response — will continue regardless of organizational changes at the federal level.