Case 6 -Whose In charge When Fire Strikes
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Case Study #6: Who’s In charge When Fire Strikes?
MAPA-5300-010: Public Administration
Dr. Tracy Rickman
May 7, 2023
I. Brief summary of the case:
In the 2015 wildfire season, a volunteer firefighter’s death brought awareness to the severity and potential dangers faced by the US Forest Service. While fireshot teams from across the country were brought together for a single cause, there was a concern raised about the growing number of resources that were being utilized by the US Forest Service. Citizens wanted the feds to take action on all fire instances (Kettl, 2021, pg. 170-171).
II. Cast of Characters:
The cast of characters for this case study would be the following groups or entities: The United States Forest Service, the firefighters from across the country that volunteer for aid, Bastrop residents, and political administrators.
III. Sequence of events:
This case starts with the introduction of David Ruhl, a U.S. Forest service fire captain. He had volunteered from mid-way across the country to assist with heavy fires in 2015 (Kettl, 2021, pg. 170). After Ruhl’s death, it was apparent that there was a unified front between interagency resources that were fighting the growing number of fires. This also caused the US Forest Service to have to use almost half of their annual budget on fire services. (Kettl, 2021, pg. 170-171).
In 2011, when a massive fire ran rampant across Bastrop County, decisions were made regarding assistance that was offered. Failure to make immediate action caused an outcry from residents and this raised the question of who would be primary in command when fires occurred and needed federal assistance and resources.
IV. Major issues:
The major issue of this case is the determination of who is in command of resources when fires occur and federal aid is required.
V. Alternative solutions:
Alternate solutions for this case are for the federal government to limit the assistance that is given by the US Forest Service. There could also be the implementation of a new federal fire service unit.
VI. Recommendation (s):
After considerable thought on the subject, I felt as though the best recommendation would be to create a US Fire Service with its own budget and funds. This would allow for more transparent and understandable duties for the unit. This would also allow the US Forest Service to receive funding for the purposes of the forest service and not go away from its mission and vision policies.
With its own agency there would be the better use of resources, and this would allow for its own funding. Civil service groups typically have a lot of support from constituents who want to help the greater good. It would be beneficial to have the ability to manage the resources without the blurred lines of multiple function areas. With the perils of fire fighting off their plate, the US Forest Service may be able to focus their resources on forestry projects that are aimed at restoring forests that have burned. Or even come up with more ways to have preventative care and actions. It is my recommendation that the
US Fire Service be created for the aid of all national fire issues. We had federal; services for police and other necessary divisions, fire service appears to be a growing need that will require
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dedicated service across the country. It would be best to be preemptive in our actions rather that wait until the problem is too far out of control.
References
Baum, R., Bartram, J., & Hrudey, S. (2016). The Flint water crisis confirms that US drinking water needs improved risk management.
(Baum et al., 2016)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, November 3). Flint lead exposure registry
. Centers for Disease Control and Prevenion. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/programs/flint-registry.htm (CDC, 2021)
Kettl, D. F. (2021). Politics of the Administrative Process (8th ed.). CQ Press.
(Kettl, 2021)
Kaffer, N. (2015, November 8). Year before water change, state knew of risks in Flint
. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-kaffer/2015/11/07/flint-lead-
water/75268692/ (Kaffer, 2015)
Masten, S.J., Davies, S.H. and Mcelmurry, S.P. (2016), Flint Water Crisis: What Happened and Why?. Journal - American Water Works Association, 108: 22-34. https://doi.org/10.5942/jawwa.2016.108.0195
(Masten, 2016)
Pauli, B. J. (2019). Flint fights back: Environmental justice and democracy in the Flint water crisis. mit Press.
(Pauli, 2019)
Pauli, BJ. The Flint water crisis. WIREs Water. 2020; 7:e1420. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1420
(Pauli, 2020)
Sadler, R. C., & Highsmith, A. R. (2016). Rethinking Tiebout: The contribution of political fragmentation and racial/economic segregation to the Flint water crisis. Environmental Justice, 9(5), 143-151.
(Sadler and Highsmith, 2016)
Sanburn, J. (2016, January 21). The poisoning of an American city. Time. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://time.com/magazine/us/4188304/february-1st-2016-vol-187-no-3-u-s/
(Sanburn, 2016)
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