>> Laura: HI, SENATOR HEINRICH.

THANKS FOR JOINING ME TODAY.

>> Heinrich: IT IS A PLEASURE.

>> Laura: SO YOU ARE BACK IN DC RIGHT NOW BUT YOU WERE OUT  IN NEW MEXICO VISITING THE FIRES.

WE ARE ALL SEEING AND ALSO STUNNED BY MUCH OF THE  DESTRUCTION.

I AM CURIOUS IF ANYTHING IN  PARTICULAR SURPRISED YOU ON THE VARIOUS FIRES YOU WERE  VISITING.

>> Heinrich: LOOKING AT THE  RUN THAT THE FIRE MADE WEST OF LAS VEGAS, WHICH ACTUALLY  HAPPENED AT NIGHT WHEN THESE PONDEROSA FIRES USUALLY LAY  DOWN AND GET ON THE FOREST FLOOR AND SEEING THAT MADE  THAT BIG RUN AT NIGHT, THAT IS JUST SCARY.

WE ARE JUST SEEING FIRE BEHAVIOR AND I HAVE BEEN  AROUND A LOT OF FIRES AND THIS IS A LOT OF NEW BEHAVIOR AND I  THINK WE SHOULD ALL -- WE JUST HAVE TO REASSESS EVERYTHING  BASED ON HOW MUCH THINGS ARE CHANGING.

>> Laura: I AM CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT  HERMIT'S PEAK CALF CANYON IF WE KNOW ANYMORE ABOUT HOW THAT  FIRE GOT OUT OF CONTROL.

>> Heinrich: NO, AND I THINK  THAT THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE -- I AM GOING TO LET THE  INVESTIGATION MOVE FORWARD AND COME UP WITH A CONCLUSION BUT  I THINK WE HAVE ALL SEEN THAT ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR, OUR  SPRING IS DIFFERENT THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST AND I  THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE WINDOWS OF WHEN IT IS  APPROPRIATE TO USE PRESCRIBED FIRE ON THE LANDSCAPE.

AND IN TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SORT OF CRUNCHING THAT  DATA AT VARIOUS DIFFERENT PLACES, I THINK WE ARE  PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE THE ABILITY TO BURN IN THE SPRING,  AT LEAST IN CERTAIN WINDOWS, AND SEE THAT SHIFT TO TIMES  WHERE HISTORICALLY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, WE COULDN'T DO  PRESCRIBED FIRE ON THE LANDSCAPE BECAUSE WE COULDN'T  GET IT TO BURN, RIGHT?

NOW, IT CAN.

SO, I JUST THINK WE NEED TO DO A DEEP DIVE ON ALL OF OUR  FOREST MANAGEMENT AND TRY TO UPDATE THINGS TO WHAT IS GOING  TO BE MOST PRODUCTIVE FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND FOR OUR FORESTS  GOING INTO THE FUTURE AND NOT MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS BECAUSE  THINGS ARE CHANGING SO QUICKLY.

>> Laura: YOU AND OTHERS SENT A LETTER EARLIER THIS MONTH TO  THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT, AG DEPARTMENT AND OFFICE OF  PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS  FEDERAL WORKFORCE.

WHAT WERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?

>> Heinrich: MY CONCERN WAS THAT THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE  WOULD HAVE NORMALLY SORT OF COINCIDED WITH THEM COMING OUT  WITH A RULE AS TO HOW MUCH PEOPLE IN THIS PROFESSIONAL  CLASS SHOULD BE PAID AT WHAT LEVEL AND THAT WOULD HAVE SORT  OF COINCIDED WITH THE BEGINNING OF FIRE SEASON BUT  OUR FIRE SEASON STARTED MONTHS EARLIER THIS YEAR.

SO WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE FIELD RIGHT NOW AND I WANT  TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THEM THAT WE ARE GRATEFUL, THAT WE ARE  THINKING ABOUT THEIR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL  WELLBEING IN A WAY THAT HASN'T BEEN FULLY APPRECIATED IN  RECENT YEARS AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THESE CHANGES  AND SEND THAT SIGNAL RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WE ARE  DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW SO THEY FEEL THE GRATITUDE THAT I KNOW  I AND MANY OTHER RESIDENTS OF  NEW MEXICO FEEL.

>> Laura: WE HAVE COVERED THIS  ISSUE OF THE WORKFORCE BUT I WAS REALLY SURPRISED WHEN I  READ YOUR LETTER WHICH SAID LAST YEAR FIRE OFFICIALS WERE  UNABLE TO FILL AN UNPRECEDENTED 1800 INTERAGENCY  REQUESTS FOR WILDLAND FIRE FIGHTING CREWS AND MORE THAN  1900 REQUESTS FOR FIRE ENGINES.

THE LETTER GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE SHORTAGES IN THE  WEST HEADING INTO THIS FIRE SEASON WITH OFFICIALS  ESTIMATING STAFFING WILL BE BELOW 75% IN SOME REGIONS.

ARE WE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT IN THE WEST AND IN NEW MEXICO  RIGHT NOW, DO YOU THINK?

>> Heinrich: WE ARE NOT SEEING  IT IN NEW MEXICO ONLY BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE THE WHOLE  GAME, RIGHT?

YOU HAVE, I BELIEVE, THE  CURRENT NUMBER IS SOMETHING LIKE 3,000 PEOPLE ON THE  NORTHERN FIRE COMPLEX.

THAT DOESN'T COUNT THE FOLKS  WHO ARE DOWN ON THE BLACK FIRE AND SOME OF THESE OTHER FIRES.

SO, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE BENEFITING, AS HARD AS WHAT WE  ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW IS, WE REALLY ARE BENEFITING  FROM HAVING FIREFIGHTERS FROM ACROSS THE ENTIRE NATION,  HAVING PROTECTION ASSETS.

WE HAVE SOMETHING LIKE 60% OF  ALL THE STRUCTURE PROTECTION ASSETS IN THE COUNTRY.

THE BIG PUMPING STATIONARY TANKS THAT HOLD WATER, THE  HOSES, ALL OF THAT STUFF, IT IS IN NEW MEXICO RIGHT NOW.

SO, BUT WHAT WORRIES ME IS WE ARE JUST AT THE FRONT END OF  THIS, RIGHT?

FIRE SEASON, EVEN ONCE THE  MONSOONS COME, IT IS GOING TO ROLE INTO OTHER STATES.

WE'LL SEE THE CALIFORNIA FIRE SEASON, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  FIRE SEASON.

WE HAVE GOT TO GET AHEAD OF  THIS FROM A PERSONNEL POINT OF VIEW AND REALLY START  SIGNALING AND FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH IT THAT WE VALUE  THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING HEROIC WORK AND WE NEED  TO BUILD A PROFESSIONAL SORT OF CADRE AND NOT THINK OF THIS  QUITE IN THE SAME WAY ANYMORE.

REALLY, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO  ARE GOING TO BE -- THESE ARE GOING TO BE LEADERSHIP  POSITIONS THAT INFORM ALL OF THE DECISIONS WE ARE MAKING  INSIDE A PARTICULAR NATIONAL FOREST OR OTHER PUBLIC LAND.