Fire deaths unnecessary

Sat., July 6, 2013

I heard of the tragic, and completely unnecessary, deaths of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot firefighter team in Yarnell, Ariz. Once again, we can observe the consequences of the U.S. Forest Service’s failure to do the job they are supposed to do.

When will people grow tired of watching the south and the west burn every year simply because the Forest Service won’t cut down dead trees and clear brush and scrub? In other words: do their job?

Apparently, the answer to that question is never because nobody is calling the Forest Service’s management of our forests into question. I have no doubt that one massive fire in Colorado and a deadly fire in Arizona will not provide the impetus to get the Forest Service off its keister.

Elizabeth McConnell

Spokane

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