Playing With Fire: Policy Recommendations for Improving Multijurisdictional Wildfire Investigations

Abstract

The primary purpose of this senior thesis was to explore how the federal government can improve the effectiveness of multijurisdictional wildfire investigations. This study began by engaging in a brief examination of the previous century of wildfire policy in the United States. It then reviewed the existing literature on methods and strategies for collaboration in wildfire governance, the current policy context of wildfire investigations, and the extent of the wildland arson problem in the United States. Following this review, two case studies were conducted on the investigations into two high-profile wildfires that occurred over the last 20 years. These fires included the 2006 Esperanza Fire in California and the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado. By comparatively analyzing the successes and challenges encountered during both of these investigations, it was found that two main factors heavily influence the effectiveness and reliability of multijurisdictional wildfire investigations, regardless of their cause: 1) the quality and successful interpretation of scientific evidence; and 2) the ability of investigators to collaborate across different agencies, which is dependent on the amount of resources available and the way agency relationships are defined in cooperative agreements. Based on these findings, four specific recommendations were proposed for Congress to shape the future direction of federal policy towards multijurisdictional wildfire investigations. These recommendations include: 1) authorizing the creation of a separate division dedicated solely to wildfire investigations within the recently established United States Wildland Fire Service; 2) incorporating investigative functions into the primary duties of the Wildfire Intelligence Center outlined under the 2025 Wildfire Intelligence Collaboration and Coordination Act to support the work of the proposed wildfire investigation division; 3) allocating funding for federal fire science research initiatives related to the study of fire pattern indicators within the proposed wildfire investigation division; and 4) approving President Donald Trump’s effort to consolidate federal wildland firefighting capabilities across the United States Department of the Interior and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service to grant the United States Wildland Fire Service a statutory base.