Comments by "Max Smith" (@maxsmith695) on "Nine new wildfires erupt across western U.S." video.
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@jonathancooper4914 I am sure they can, but are not routinely call in to help. The situation in Oregon might be time for an exception. Oregon has never had massive wildfires and they have limited resources and manpower to fight them. Plus not much experience in the ranks above Captain.
Trump cut the USFS budget by $700 million in 2018 and that produced a layoff in the West of 600 USFS firefighters. It limited any new tanker purchases or engine purchases. At a time when the USFS needed to be buying more tankers, engines, hiring 2,000 more persons, they were forced into retreat mode.
Trump was mad at Democratic States and this action has hurt people on all sides. Eastern Oregon is mostly Republican as is Eastern CALIF and the Sierras, and these are the exact people hurt the most, by budget cuts, by far.
Thankfully The Governor of CALIF spent an extra $1.2 billion, and bought over 800 new engines, added 15 helicopters to the fleet and more than 20 tankers, hired over 3500 fire fighters, built 400 stations and poured huge money into high tech prevention programs and arson investigation assets. Because f those action, the State of CALiF can provide massive help to the Federal Firefighters who are in a real trouble, given they have been almost on lockdown for 5 years.
Governor Arnold S was Gov from 2001 to 2009 in CALIF, and made the State Firefighting budget a low priority. If he had been Governor the past 5 years, CALIF would be in very serious trouble.
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