As the Texas Forest Service battles what may be the state's most destructive wildfire outbreak ever, state lawmakers are facing criticism that they have taken a penny-wise-pound-foolish approach to funding the agency.
Texas is one of the few states that rely primarily on volunteer fire departments to protect rural areas from wildfires. About 330 firefighters with the forest service traditionally serve as a second tier of defense when such fires get larger than the local department can handle.The Legislature cut the agency's funding this year to $83 million from $117 million, according to Robby DeWitt, the forest service's associate finance director.Chris Barron, executive director of the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas, said: "It's very frustrating that they don't have the proper tools and resources to fight these fires. If fire departments had enough funding, if the forest service had enough funding, we wouldn't be in this predicament over each and every year."The issue is drawing more attention in part because of the sheer scope of the Central Texas wildfire, which has destroyed more than 1,500 homes and killed at least two people. There's also a new political component as critics charge that the budget cuts are proof that the fiscal restraint Gov. Rick Perry is touting on the presidential campaign trail comes at a price.Perry's office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Perry has previously said that his push this year to preserve billions in the rainy day fund was partly in case of a natural disaster. FEMA has begun approving requests for aid."Because so many fires are burning across the state, our resources are spread pretty thin," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Wednesday. "That's why we need the federal government to step up to the plate immediately. We need to cut through the red tape and get Texas the help we need today."In recent years, as the costs of fighting bigger and more frequent wildfires have grown, the forest service has regularly outspent its budget, state records show. Most of the extra money has paid for out-of-state help that can cost up to four times more than comparable in-state resources. The forest service has previously warned lawmakers that underfunding has led to more destructive fires that ultimately cost the state more money.This year, the back-door funding need has exceeded the forest service's entire budget. As of Aug. 31, the end of the state's fiscal year, the agency spent $182.5 million beyond what the Legislature had originally budgeted, DeWitt said. "That is the problem with the slash and burn approach," said state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. "It's just one example of many in how services have been cut not to the flesh but to the bone."DeWitt said the latest funding cuts translate mostly into the agency approving fewer grants for new equipment for volunteer fire departments. That fund had to be cut from $23 million to $7 million, he said. Since 2003, the fund has been used largely to defray costs for new trucks for volunteer departments, with lesser amounts spent on safety gear and training."What we're planning is to not award grants for trucks," DeWitt said. "That's the biggest expenditure."He said the cuts do not directly affect operational costs for volunteer fire departments, most of which are financed at the local level.The firemen's association is drawing attention to the state's funding woes as it solicit donations to buy wildfire-fighting gear for the state's volunteer firefighters. Many firefighters have gear for fighting only structural fires, which isn't practical for use in wildfires, Barron said. As a result, some firefighters are battling blazes in their "street clothes," he saidThe fund has drawn about $200,000 in donations since May, but the Association has $500,000 in requests for gear, said Kelsey Coleman, a spokeswoman for the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund.Recurring problemThe budget cuts bring the forest service's overall state spending more in line with where it was three years ago, when agency officials said the state was seeing more destructive wildfires because the agency was stretched too thin."Unfortunately, we have examples of communities being burned over because the state did not have enough resources," the agency told the Legislature in a routine appropriations request in 2008.At the time, agency officials said a 25- to 30-year dry period was likely to mean a rise in the number and severity of wildfires in Texas. The forest service argued that funding wildfire protection properly required an extra $20.4 million in annual funding, an investment that would pay for itself in the long run as it would mean fewer requests for more expensive out-of-state resources.DeWitt said Forest Service officials knew back in 2008 that they wouldn't get the full funding increase in one shot."We requested $7 million to take the next step," DeWitt said. "They approved $8.5 million per year."That led to the creation of 60 positions in the forest service, though only some were filled, state records show. Because of the recent budget cuts, the forest service has cut 10 full-time positions that were vacant, DeWitt said. None of the positions were firefighters.Aman Batheja, 817-390-7695Texas Wildfire Relief Fund
The State Firemen's & Fire Marshals' Association of Texas is soliciting donations to provide firefighters with additional equipment, water, food and fuel. txwildfirerelief.org
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