From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Wildland Fire Management and the Federal Fire Aviation Program Description: Audio interview by GAO staff with Anne-Marie Fennel, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Related GAO Work: GAO-13-684: Wildland Fire Management: Improvements Needed in Information, Collaboration, and Planning to Enhance Federal Fire Aviation Program Success Released: August 2013 [ Background Music ] [Narrator:] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report; your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's August, 2013. Severe wildland fires in recent years highlight the role of federal aerial firefighting support. In 2002, the government had 44 large air tankers in its fleet of firefighting aircraft, but in 2013, it only had 8. A team led by Anne-Marie Fennell, a director in GAO's Natural Resources and Environment team, recently reviewed agency efforts to ensure the adequacy of the federal firefighting aircraft fleet. GAO's Sarah Kaczmarek sat down with Anne-Marie to learn more. [Sarah Kaczmarek:] Over the last few years, there have been a number of severe wildfires, including the terrible tragedy in Arizona where 19 firefighters died. What aspects of wildland fire management does your report cover? [Anne-Marie Fennell:] Our report covers the role that firefighting aircraft play in helping the federal government fight wildland fires. Responsibility for fighting wildland fires within the federal government largely rests with the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture, and various land management bureaus within the Department of Interior. [Sarah Kaczmarek:] So with that first point, what's the government doing to identify the firefighting aircraft needed? [Anne-Marie Fennell:] Since 1995, the Forest Service and Department of Interior have engaged in 9 major efforts to identify the type and mix of aircraft they need to fight wildland fires. Largely, these efforts have comprised of studies and strategy documents. [Sarah Kaczmarek:] And what steps is the Forest Service taking to modernize the large air tanker fleet, and what challenges are they facing? [Anne-Marie Fennell:] The Forest Service has a multi-faceted approach. Near-term is to rely on its legacy aircraft. Its medium term is to replace the legacy aircraft with next-generation aircraft. The long-term approach is to acquire its own aircraft through the purchase of the C-130 Hercules and obtaining C-27 Spartans through an intergovernment transfer with the military. Each of these particular approaches faces significant challenges for the Forest Service. In terms of the near-term approach regarding the legacy aircraft, the age and cost of operating these aircraft is of significant concern and casts doubt on the availability of the aircraft to fight wildland fires. In terms of the medium-term approach that the Forest Service is taking, they have been hampered in terms of getting the next-generation aircraft due to a series of bid protests that have delayed contract award. In addition, most of the aircraft have not been fully tested and approved for operational use. Finally, in terms of its long-term approach of acquiring its own fleet of aircraft, the Forest Service was challenged because it was unable to justify the acquisition of such aircraft to the Office of Management Budget. And in addition to that, the agency faces potential challenges in terms of the retarding capacity of the aircraft and the cost in maintaining of the aircraft that they would obtain from an intergovernmental transfer. [Sarah Kaczmarek:] And what's GAO recommending the Forest Service do to improve this situation?