National Strategy to CombatWildland Fires: A Public Policy

Wildfires are a natural phenomenon in the environment, which allow certain species of plants and trees to germinate (NPS, n.d.). However, in the last decade,the behavior of wildfires has drastically become more deadly and intense because of greenhouse gasemission and anthropogenic activity (Abatzoglou & Williams, 2016). Climate change has extended the fire season and has encouraged winds to spread across land rapidly, making it almost impossible to suppress flames (Forest Services, 2015).As the wildfire intensity increases, the elderly are primary victims, and the hardest to locate because of lack of transportation and wildfire preparedness (Cahalan & Renne, 2007). This issue gains prevalence as baby boomers begin to age and retire at home alone (AARP, n.d.). Nationally, there is also a shortage of trained firefighters to combat the growing strength of flames, adding to the difficulty in fire suppression (NFPA, 2015). The first step in fighting the growing intensity and damage related to wildfires is to initiate a national carbon tax to encourage green energy investment, and whichrevenue would be used to fund a National Elderly and Disabled evacuation planfor the most at-risk populations. Additionally, allowing an inmate rehabilitation program will provide an employment of an additional 8,000 non-violent inmate firefighters, which will drastically help the national firefighter shortage, while also reducing recidivism. As the United States prepares to exit from the Paris Agreement, it is imperative that states, and Congress take initiative to regulate the scalingcontributions of fossil fuel emission in order to control the rising danger of wildland forest fires.