U.S. Forest Service Allegedly Turned Away Firefighting Resources in California

The U.S. Forest Service turned away firefighter equipment during the damaging California wildfires, according to a logging company.

Jeff Holland, the owner of logging company CTL Forest Management Inc., says that he offered a variety of firefighting equipment during the Loyalton Fire. Although he proposed hiring out the bulldozers, water trucks, and wood-chipping machines to the U.S. Forest Service, his offer was reportedly turned down.

The Loyalton Fire was started by lightning on Aug. 14 in the area north of Lake Tahoe in California. After catching flame, the fire burned through timber, sage, and tallgrass in the area – eventually consuming 47,029 acres of land.

Although Holland says that his equipment wouldn’t have necessarily changed the course of the wildfire, he told the Sacramento Bee that the situation illustrates his problems with the U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting system.

Specifically, Holland calls out the service’s VIPR (Virtual Incident Procurement) program – a computerized program which allows the agency to call on resources from the private sector when fighting fires. Companies like Holland’s are able to sign up to provide the U.S. Forest Service with vital equipment. This equipment could help dig containment lines, bring water to douse wildfire flames, and help with other parts of fighting a massive blaze.

Unfortunately, Holland says that the program’s operations have taken a turn this year – taking an already complicated system and making it more difficult. Allegedly, bids for equipment use have been rejected for issues with paperwork which should be minor. Similarly, companies who previously worked with the service have allegedly found themselves locked out of the system with no explanation.

According to Holland, this resulted in the Forest Service being significantly short on resources when fighting the worst California wildfire season on record. Holland contends that the service simply “wasn’t ready to take on a fire season like this one.”

Another business owner Rusty Stanford says that the agency “shot themselves in the foot” by seemingly attempting to streamline their VIPR process and work with fewer contractors.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jonathan Groveman has denied claims that the VIPR program was run differently this year.

“This year in California we have had 8,486 wildfires that have burned 4.1 million acres,” Groveman said in an email statement to the Sacramento Bee. “During this same time, there were extensive and destructive wildfires throughout the West. This amount of fire activity will always result in resource limitations.”

U.S. Forest Service & Wildfires

The U.S. Forest Service is a federal agency which aims to protect the country’s forest and grasslands. Part of their job is to manage the wildfires which burn on National Forests and Grasslands. Do to this, the agency works with other federal, state, local, and tribal authorities and partners to better respond to wildfires.

The agency’s job is getting more important each year as the number and size of wildfires around the country only increase. As in previous years, California wildfires from 2020 continued to set records for their size and destruction, prompting millions in damage and in homeowners insurance claims.

More recently, the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires have forced 90,000 Californians in Orange County to evacuate the area after the wildfires nearly doubled in size overnight. Like with previous fires in the area, California’s utility companies have faced scrutiny for their role in these fires.

According to the New York Times, Southern California Edison has admitted that its equipment may have contributed to the Silverado Fire. The company’s response to wildfire conditions differed from Pacific Gas and Electric, another company previously implicated in California wildfires, who turned off power to large parts of Northern California out of caution. However, investigators haven’t come to a conclusion about the fire’s cause.

Join a Free California Wildfire Property Damage Lawsuit Investigation

If you experienced property damage or tree damage during the California wildfire 2020 season, your insurance company should cover your losses.

If you believe your insurer underpaid you for your losses, or if you were underinsured, it is not too late to fight for the compensation you deserve.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.