WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture announced recently the coordinated action to implement President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14308, Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response, by announcing the U.S. Wildland Fire Service to modernize wildfire management nationwide.  

The Department of the Interior issued Secretary’s Order 3443, which directs the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service with a plan for implementation in January 2026, elevating and unifying wildland fire programs to reflect the increasing risk to people, property and infrastructure, and the hazards faced by firefighters every day. The Department of Agriculture also released its own memorandum today to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system. 

“For too long, outdated and fragmented systems have slowed our ability to fight fires and protect lives. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting through the bureaucracy and building a unified, modern wildfire response system that works as fast and as fearlessly as the men and women on the front lines,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “By streamlining federal capabilities and strengthening our partnerships with state, tribal and local teams, we will deliver the common-sense reforms needed to safeguard our communities, our lands and our future.” 

“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness. We started this work in the spring and have continually updated our policies and programs to properly manage our forests through common-sense timber production and management, protecting our national forests and grasslands for generations to come,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “Secretary Burgum and I are committed to leading a bold transformation of the federal wildfire system to help our communities, neighbors, and partners better prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfires.”     

Meeting Today’s Wildfire Crisis 

Fires are costing the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars annually, damaging infrastructure, disrupting agriculture, driving up food prices and threatening lives and livelihoods. Decades of insufficient forest management – such as fuel build-up, invasive species spread and delayed treatments – have created conditions where wildfires burn hotter, faster and more destructively. 

Fire seasons are longer, fire intensity is increasing, and suppression and recovery costs are soaring. Beyond landscapes, wildfires now pose risks to national security, public health, energy and water supplies. 

The USWFS will unify Interior’s fire bureaus and align operations with the Department of Agriculture through shared procurement, predictive services, research and policy reforms. 

Strategic Priorities for Reform 

The plan will focus on five interdependent priorities: 

• Address systemic inefficiencies and modernize aviation and coordination systems
  • Create a joint federal firefighting aircraft service
  • Consolidate predictive services into a national intelligence capability
• Strengthen interagency wildf

At its Sept. 16, 2025 meeting, the Golden Valley (MN) City Council approved two resolutions regarding the location of a new East Fire Station facility, the city said in a press release. These actions move the City one step closer to achieving its Building Forward plan to reinvest in essential services—in this case maintaining a high level of fire and life safety, protection, and response throughout the community. 

The first resolution approves the property at 1875 Lilac Drive N as the location of the new East Fire Station, and the second resolution authorizes the City to use eminent domain to acquire the property, if necessary. 

The City has been in communication with the property owner for over a year. Recognizing the importance of moving forward with this project and the lack of other viable properties, approval of the second resolution allows the City to start the process of acquisition by eminent domain. This process involves multiple steps and is designed to protect the rights of the property owner and ensure they are protected and fairly compensated. However, it is still possible eminent domain will not be required. 

More about the eminent domain process is available in this pamphlet from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). 

Funding for the East Fire Station project will come from a combination of grant funds, city funds, and government bonds.  

In 2023, the City was awarded $3.172 million in state grant funding to contribute to this project. The City will use these funds to acquire and improve property and create early designs. The City must allocate this funding to the project by the end of 2025 or risk losing it. City staff are actively working with state and federal partners to secure additional grant funding for this project. 

Bonds are a type of long-term loan utilized by government entities to finance major, long-term capital projects such as roads, schools, and other public infrastructure. Borrowing for large project enables government entities to distribute the costs across future years. 

Current Facilities  

Currently, the Golden Valley Fire Department operates out of three fire stations: 

• Fire Station 1 (Civic Campus at 7800 Golden Valley Rd), which is the largest and most central fire station
• Fire Station 2 (Turners Crossroad and Laurel Ave), which is near the St Louis Park border
• Fire Station 3 (Golden Valley Rd and Bonnie Ln), which is near the Minneapolis border

None of these facilities meet the department’s needs. For example, these buildings:  

• are outdated in both size and configuration to enable best firefighting practices, including equipment maintenance, hands-on training, and physical fitness training
• do not accommodate modern vehicles and equipment
• do not provide adequate measures to protect firefighter health and safety, including ample workspace to reduce exposure to carcinogens and a protected space for firefighters to dress for calls
• lack gender-equitable restrooms and locker rooms
• do not have bunk rooms to allow for staffing stations overnight

Station Location Selection Process

A 2016 study of Golden Valley’s fire/rescue operations concluded the City needed to move from a three-station paid on-call staffin

Clara Wicinski
The Morning Journal, Lorain, Ohio
(TNS)

The Avon Lake Historical Society is leading an effort to restore the city’s first fire truck, a 1939 Dodge American LaFrance known as ALFD1, with the goal of debuting it in the 2026 Memorial Day Parade.

The project, led by seven volunteers, has been underway for 12 months.

Dave Dlugosz, an Avon Lake Historical Society trustee, said the effort is about more than fixing up an old vehicle.

Restoration work has included deconstructing and cataloging small parts, stripping and repainting the body, redoing the brakes, resurfacing the ladder, refurbishing the cab interior, and rewiring the electrical system. (Submitted)

“It’s an obligation of the Avon Lake Historical Society to try to keep our history going,” Dlugosz said. “It was the first fire engine Avon Lake had.

“We just thought this could be our contribution to the people in Avon Lake, to maintain our history.”

The fire truck was decommissioned decades ago and passed through private ownership before eventually given back to the city, according to the Historical Society.

It had been sitting unused in storage before the Historical Society took it on.

Restoration work has included deconstructing and cataloging small parts, stripping and repainting the body, redoing the brakes, resurfacing the ladder, refurbishing the cab interior and rewiring the electrical system.

The Avon Lake Historical Society is leading an effort to restore the city’s first fire truck, a 1939 Dodge American LaFrance known as ALFD1, with the goal of debuting it in the 2026 Memorial Day Parade. (Submitted)

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Dlugosz said one of the most difficult challenges came with the wheels.

“One of the biggest headaches we had was modifying the split rim tires,” he said. “People don’t have those anymore, so we had to reconstruct and reconfigure the rims to keep the original wheels, but put them on brand new rims.”

The project is supported not only by volunteers but also by local businesses.

Argenti Auto Body in Lorain has handled the painting, while Chip Judge is doing detailing and lettering.

Sylvester Tire and Avon Lake Sheet Metal also are assisting the project.

Volunteers working alongside Dlugosz include Mike Bommer, Craig Cooper, Chuck Fye, Frank Landl, Roby Stern and Alex Yenni.

The effort has been funded by two donations earmarked specifically for the fire truck’s restoration.

Dlugosz said the group intentionally chose not to make ALFD1 a museum-only piece.

Instead, the truck is being restored for parades and community events, where residents will be able to climb aboard and connect with the city’s past, he said.

“Mo

Apparatus Ideas Bob Vaccaro

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. It is 25 miles south of Boston, is 21.5 square miles, and has a population of almost 105,000. It has five colleges, 20 schools, and three highways running through it.

The fire department was started in 1946 and boasts the first fire station that was fully electric, wired by Thomas Edison himself. Since that time, the department has purchased numerous fire apparatus manufactured by Mack, Seagrave, HME, Smeal, Spartan, and now Pierce. The department recently purchased an engine, a midmount platform aerial, and a rear-mount aerial, all manufactured by Pierce.

Chief Brain Nardelli states, “The process to order a new apparatus began roughly three years ago. We generally replace our apparatus based on age; maintenance issues; and, like most fire departments, funding that is available.” This time, the department started from scratch. It chose to go with the HGAC purchasing program so it would take less time and make it easier for the department to purchase what it wanted that met all of its needs instead of just going with a low bidder. “Since we previously purchased Pierce fire apparatus and had a good rapport with them and their local dealer, Allegiance Fire & Rescue, our firefighters decided, along with our committee, to go with them for this large purchase of apparatus,” Nardelli says.

1 The new Brockton Fire Department fire apparatus: a Pierce rear-mount aerial, a Pierce midmount platform, and a Pierce pumper. (Photos 1-4 by Michael Boynton)

The department looked at a demonstration Ascendant 100-foot platform that had a shorter wheelbase than previous department platforms. It also features Pierce’s TAK-4 T3 independent rear suspension with tight turning technology, providing greater maneuverability on the city’s tight streets. It also has a master stream that can go low or high as needed.

The rear-mount aerial and pumper were built on Enforcer cabs and chassis, which the department’s firefighters were familiar with. “The rear-mount is just a basic truck with truck company tools and Genesis extrication tools,” Nardelli says. “We added an engineer’s compartment behind the cab as well.”

The engine, known as Squad A, is an engine but also responds as a primary rescue at most scenes. “It has roll-out trays for all of our rescue tools as well as basic engine company tools,” says Nardelli. He adds, “Hose carried on the squad engine is 800 feet of 4-inch large-diameter hose for supply, 1,000 feet of 21⁄2-inch, and crosslays of 150 and 250 feet of 1¾-inch hose. All have solid bore nozzles.”

The Agriculture and Interior departments this week announced a broad-ranging initiative designed to bring federal firefighting agencies into closer cooperation, though it fell short of combining the firefighting operations of the two departments into one.

The Department of Interior will create a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service within the department, and it’s mission will be to collaborate closely with the U.S. Forest Service (under the Department of Agriculture), as well as state and tribal agencies, to create a single approach to wildland firefighting.

The initiative envisions:

• Streamlined procurement and payment systems
• Standardized training for firefighters
• Standardized human resources systems, pay scales, and benefits
• Modernization of the federal air firefighting programs with standardized inspection and certification processes
• Standardized mapping and risk management systems
• Creation of an overarching IT research office to set priorities and eliminate duplicative projects

At the same time, the two departments have said they will  look to identify and abandon outdated, inefficient systems. The announcements are in response to a presidential executive order to consolidate federal firefighting agencies. It addresses many of President Trump’s stated goals, but falls short of moving all federal firefighting operations under one department.

For more information, you can download the agency announcements here.

Read Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins implementing memorandum here.

Read Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s order here. 

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