TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams said a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employee recently revealed the agency was facing a 40% reduction in firefighting capability in the state of Colorado following massive federal cuts.
As a result, Williams is calling on Gov. Jared Polis and state agencies not to send firefighting assets out of Colorado this year.
Williams, who also sits on the Teller County Wildland Fire Council, said he learned the information during a meeting last week with state and federal partners.
“We were told is that for Colorado, we've had a 40% decrease in firefighting capability by the feds. It's gone. So, the trucks, the people, the airplanes,” Williams said. “When we have a fire, I can call the governor. They send state assets. But at some point, if it's really bad, we have to call the feds. Right now, I don't have a lot of confidence in that.”
Williams noted that federal employees have been extremely guarded since the Trump Administration and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began enacting widespread cuts across the government, including the Forest Service.
As such, Williams said the forest service workers he spoke to last week called the figures “generalities” and hesitated to speak further out of fear they might lose their jobs.
President Trump directed a large-scale slashing of federal positions on Valentine’s Day. At the time, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (D) said 3,400 Forest Service employees were let go nationwide. His office later confirmed that at least 90 of those were in Colorado, though other reports put that number even higher.
Some positions have likely been reinstated as lawsuits continue in the courts, but the cuts were still drastic enough for Commissioner Williams to be told about that drastic reduction in capability last week.
The commissioner said he’s been in communication with other local, county, and state leaders and entities to ensure there’s a proper response when a wildfire hits, especially as the state heads into the summer fire season.
“My fear is we have a well-oiled machine here. We have capability here. We don't own airplanes. We don't own national assets,” Williams said. “As a county commissioner, that's my biggest fear–that when we call, they don't come. So, we actually talked about that with our state and federal partners, among all the first responders. And we've got a plan. We're not going to give up.”
Denver7's sister station in Colorado Springs (KOAA) reached out to USFS asking if the agency disputes the 40% decrease in firefighting capability. The response didn’t address that question directly, but said the agency are actively hiring up to 1,100 permanent firefighting positions nationwide.
“The USDA Forest Service employs 11,300 permanent and temporary wildland firefighters annually to effectively and efficiently plan for, prevent, and respond to wildfires,” USFS said in an email. “To reach this staffing goal, hiring managers use a phased annual hiring schedule to fill vacancies caused by resignations, declined job offers, or internal promotions. ”
On April 18, just hours after KOAA reached out for comment for this report, the USFS sent what appeared to be a nationwide press release regarding their active hiring of the 1,100 positions. The hiring began April 14 and ends April 24. It’s unclear why the release went out in the middle of the hiring dates, with just days to fill such a large number of roles.
The release also noted 130 of the positions would be for the Rocky Mountain region, which includes Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. The number of positions being hired is close to the purported number of people fired in Colorado just months ago.
Due to the uncertainty at the federal level, Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams called on Governor Polis and state agencies to keep firefighting assets in Colorado out of fear that there is no longer enough support to handle a large wildfire.
“I would say Colorado is at risk. We have 24 million acres of forest in Colorado,” Williams said. “I don't think we send assets outside of Colorado this summer. And that's not ugly, that's life and safety. The governor is going to make those tough calls, but I think we focus inwards.”
A spokesperson for Governor Polis seemed to strike down the notion when reached for comment.
“It is the Colorado way to lend a hand to other states when they are in need, so long as we don’t need the aircraft, and Governor Polis intends to continue doing so when available, something we expect would be reciprocated in Colorado’s time of need,” Polis’ office said in a statement.
The governor’s office also said his priority is protecting Coloradans from wildfires and touted his administration’s and the state’s efforts to make investments in resources like helicopters, aircraft, fire engines and crews.
Polis also called on local communities to “join him in raising their voice in opposition to these cuts.”
In Colorado, it is up to the individual fire departments whether they make their resources available in the what’s known as the national resource ordering system, which is how local Colorado fire departments might end up fighting wildfires elsewhere in the country.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
Brett can also communicate via encrypted apps like Signal. Due to the sensitive nature of ongoing reporting from federal actions, he is willing to take steps to protect identities.