On May 6, the Chief shared our next steps for implementing interim governance structures and operating plans to ensure we maintain critical services and support. With so much change in the agency and so many folks who are no longer with us, these operating plans are important for us to maintain safety, continuity, and services across the agency. We realize that the organization today must share resources and talent and that all of us may be asked to help out or do work much differently than we did just a few months ago.  

Since then, the Chief and I have approved several recommendations developed by interim working groups—many of which are already in the early stages of implementation. These actions aim to maintain essential services, address critical risks, and support the agency's priorities. Key focus areas with dedicated working groups include:

• employee and public safety

• disaster recovery

• active management (timber/vegetation/fuels)

• recreation

• energy, minerals and geology

• NEPA planning

• grants and agreements

• information technology

• communication and legislative affairs

• fire response (incident management capacity)

• human resources

• law enforcement and investigations

• budget

• Chief Finance Office (payments, billings & reimbursable agreements)  

• procurement & property services/contracts, facilities & leasing

It’s important to reiterate that these recommendations are not reflective of, or designed to inform, broader agency reorganization planning; instead, they are necessary to maintain mission readiness.

While many of these actions are still being finalized and embedded within the appropriate staff sections, I want to reiterate what the Chief said in his message—employee and public safety remain our top priorities. To that end, we are proactively dedicating resources to safety systems and programs, including training and qualifying employees with additional safety and risk management skills.

Here are some of the actions underway that will assist our collective efforts and maximize our effectiveness:  

• Establishing zoned NEPA/planning operations in Eastern, Mountain, and Pacific regions to improve support for priority projects.  

• Prioritizing contracts moving forward to manage recreation sites, such as waste management and purchasing of other maintenance supplies.  

• Developing 90-day acquisition, partnership, and capacity plans to prepare for disasters on each administrative unit.  

• Integrating national press desk and issues management with region/station staff to provide zoned coverage, enhanced communication support.  

• Developing an active management collaboration team and tracking tool to help manage timber and fuels, focusing on FY25 contracts and agreements.  

• Defining Casuality Assistant Program/Critical Incident Stress Management (CAP/CISM) responses and prioritizing the hiring of law enforcement and safety officers to address safety concerns.  

• Updating public-facing websites and identifying minimum viable information technology and operational support.  

• Streamlining incident procurement and prioritizing incidents for on-site support.  

This is a significant undertaking, and your professionalism and talent make this work look effortless. Thank you for your continued adaptability and grace as we navigate these changes together.

Editor's Note: Provide feedback about this column or suggest topics for future columns by emailing FS-Employee Feedback.