A new fire paradigm is emerging.

“Roadless areas are some of the most wildfire-resilient landscapes in North America because they are the least degraded by industrial logging and road-building that would have converted fire-adapted native forests into fire-prone tree farms, and provided road access for human-caused ignitions from careless recreationists and sociopathic arsonists,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, in a news release issued last year.

Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE), an organization of active, former, or retired wildland firefighters, is also speaking out against the repeal. It said in a statement that more roads and human access will mean more human-caused wildfire starts, and that logging roads in backcountry areas are dangerous for attempting to stop wildfire. FUSEE argues this is best done by aviation-based tactics and other means fully allowed by the existing rule.

Molly Maguire, a representative of FUSEE and current member of an active wildfire module (a firefighting team), stated, “Wildland fires are necessary and incredibly significant ecological processes. Roadless areas lack much infrastructure or human structures, so they offer opportunities to safely, economically, and ecologically manage fire across large areas without threatening human assets.”

“Wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect communities and public lands from increasingly dangerous wildfires. When a firefighter does not make it home, their family should not have to face financial uncertainty on top of unimaginable loss. The Honoring Fallen Wildland Firefighters Act recognizes the tremendous risks these firefighters take and provides their families with the support they deserve,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, Executive Director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE).