Wyden Wants Coronavirus Safety Plan From USFS In One Week

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said the west is facing an unprecedented one-two punch this year, in the form of COVID-19 and anticipated active wildfire season. And as the Forest Service makes plans how to fight those fires, Wyden said it’s still unclear what’s going to be done to keep firefighters safe.

In late April, Wyden and ten other senators sent a letter to the Forest Service asking that details be offered, and health and safety efforts start. At this point, Wyden says the boots on the ground have not received word of what will be done to keep firefighters safe from COVID-19, or how those efforts will be executed.

“And in fact, I was recently briefed in Oregon by the local partners, and they didn’t give me any indication that there is direct on the ground coordination between D.C. health and emergency service programs and the front lines of Oregon forestry.”

During this week’s Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, Wyden told John Phipps the U.S. Forest Service needed to come up with a tangible plan to keep firefighters safe this summer. And he wanted that safety plan in a week.

“To just hear about exploring and doing something and maybe we’ll look at this, it’s just not acceptable to the people who give us an election certificate.”

Phipps added at this point, the USFS does not plan to conduct massive tests of firefighters this summer, saying those tests only serve as a snapshot in time.

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