Government shutdown: Tracking the firefighter impact

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WASHINGTON — Two days into the government shutdown, the impact on the American fire service is coming into focus. While several departments have detailed contingency plans, many employees serving fire-focused agencies are immediately furloughed as others continue to maintain essential services until a spending agreement can be reached.

IAFF President Ed Kelly posted a statement about the shutdown and its impact on firefighters, calling on Congress to pass a continuing resolution:

Here’s what we know now about impacted departments and agencies that serve firefighters or have fire-focused workforces, as well as reactions from fire service leaders.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA estimates that almost 21,000 of its nearly 25,000 employees will be considered exempt/excepted and are estimated to be retained on duty, according to the IAFC . Disaster payments are considered exempt/excepted activities and should continue to be processed.

• U.S. Fire Administration : The USFA’s 4th Annual Summit on Fire Prevention and Control, scheduled for Oct. 7, has been postponed until further notice.
• National Fire Academy : The NFA is closed during the shutdown.
• Grants : According to the Department of Homeland Security, awardees may continue to perform the grants If a grant award is fully funded, but they will not be reimbursed until FEMA operations are fully funded. In cases where the terms of a grant require prior approval or coordination, a furloughed federal employee will not be able to provide the required approval or coordination. The awardees’ work on the grant must cease until the required approvals or coordination take place.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Approximately 35% of CDC staff will remain working during the shutdown. Several fire-focused CDC programs under the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are impacted by the shutdown. Some emergency prevention and response programs will continue, but most research will pause.

• WTC Health Program : This World Trade Center Health Program will continue to operate using mandatory spending.
• National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory : The NPPTL’s Respirator Approval Program remains in operation during the shutdown.
• Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program : The FFFIPP is currently closed with its employees furloughed until the end of the shutdown.
• National Firefighter Registry for Cancer : Some workers have been furloughed. The NFR remains online, and firefighters can still submit information to the program.

Department of Justice

Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program : The PSOB program is funded through mandatory spending and should operate during the shutdown, according to the IAFC. However, the Office of Justice Programs only plans on retaining 41 of 796 staff during the shutdown. DOJ websites are currently not being updated. Learn more in the DOJ FY 2026 Continency Plan .

Department of Agriculture

U.S. Forest Service : According to the USDA contingency plan , of the USFS’s 32,390 employees, roughly 12,744 will be furloughed. Approximately 15,600 personnel are designated “excepted” to protect life and property — a category that includes wildfire suppression, law enforcement, emergency response and natural disaster preparedness. Firefighters and support staff will continue responding to wildfires across the agency’s 193 million acres, including 154 national forests and more than 500 ranger districts. In addition, 3,569 employees are funded through alternative sources, such as permanent appropriations, cost recovery funds, and supplemental disaster or infrastructure accounts, ensuring that some critical programs will continue regardless of the shutdown. Read more about the contingency plan .

Department of Interior

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) : According to the DOI contingency plan , the BLM will furlough approximately 4,000 of its 9,250 employees. Some employees are excepted from furlough if they perform activities that protect life and property. Approximately 3,300 wildland fire management personnel will continue to work during the shutdown, supported by carryover funding in the WFM account. These employees cover wildfire suppression, preparedness, fuels management, firefighter hiring and training, and procurement of critical aviation and ground resources. Read more from the contingency plan .

We will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.

How have you been impacted by the shutdown?