With the partial shutdown of the federal government, efforts to prepare for both hurricanes and wildfires have been temporarily put on hold. The National Weather Service, responsible for many of the models used to predict extreme weather events, has been forced to delay development and implementation of key improvements. Speaking to Scientific American, Eric Blake, a forecaster with the NWS’s National Hurricane Center, noted, “It’s basically freezing the hurricane development work, and I don’t think anyone wants that.” Questions also remain as to whether preparedness training for emergency managers in coastal areas will go ahead. With the furlough, Blake said, “We can’t really do any of the outreach, any of the training—our main thrust in the off-season.”
The U.S. Forestry service is facing similar issues, as it is currently unable to award contracts for needed equipment, to direct federal employees to clear the tinder that drives major fires, or to conduct training for western firefighters. Of the interruption to training, says a former U.S. Bureau of Land Management employee to McClatchy, “This is the second year in a row we’ve had a shutdown right in the middle of the (firefighter) training season. The last thing we want is for fires to break out, and not have the kind of crews we need to to field.” Says Nick Goulette, executive director of the Watershed Center, “The Forest Service works through all their hiring processes during the winter, and initiates its training regime during these months…There is no question this jeopardizes readiness as it drags on.” Training at the Tennessee-Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy has already canceled some training sessions, and other states are expected to follow, should the shutdown continue.
Sources:
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/regional/the-west/article224102340.html
