OFFICE OF 

INSPECTOR GENERAL 

U.S.DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

CARES Act Flash Report 

CARES Act Funds for DOI’s Wildland Fire 

Management Program as of June 19, 2020 

The DOI received 

$756 million 

under the CARES Act to 

respond to impacts from the 

coronavirus, including 

$157.4 million for DOI 

operations. As of June 19, 

2020, the DOI had approved 

$11.3 million for wildland 

fire operations: 

• $3.5 million for the BLM

• $3.4 million for the NPS

• $2.5 million for the FWS

• $1.9 million for the BIA

The WFM program restores 

and maintains resilient 

landscapes, protects lives 

and properties, creates fireadapted communities, and 

ensures safe and effective 

response to wildfires. 

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, 

Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which provided the 

U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with $756 million to support the 

needs of DOI programs, bureaus, Indian Country, and the Insular Areas. 

As part of the $756 million, the Office of the Secretary received 

$157.4 million to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus 

across DOI operations, which includes the Wildland Fire Management 

(WFM) program. 

The DOI will continue to fulfill its firefighting mission during the 

COVID-19 pandemic. Firefighter safety is a top priority, and 

according to the DOI’s website, the DOI created a special interagency 

team of medical and public health experts to review and synthesize 

COVID-19 guidelines used in wildfire operations. The team directs 

firefighters to follow the recommendations provided by the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which state that extra 

precautions should be taken to protect firefighters and other personnel 

at fire camps from COVID-19. Fire camps are like small communities 

in many ways. For example, fire camps can include thousands of 

people living together and working collectively to respond to a 

wildfire, often in remote areas. Therefore, the CDC’s guidance for 

wildland firefighters recommends using screening programs, 

disinfectants, quarantine periods, and personal protective equipment 

(PPE) when appropriate—all of which could lead to more requests for 

funding as the fire season progresses. 

As of June 19, 2020, the DOI approved funding of $11.3 million of the 

$157.4 million for the WFM program. To date, the WFM program has 

obligated $547,596 (or 5 percent) and spent $381,431 (or 3 percent) of 

the $11.3 million in approved funds. In this report, we provide details 

about the CARES Act funds approved for fire management, and the 

WFM program’s progress in obligating and spending those funds as of 

June 19, 2020. 

CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-ER-042 • Issued July 31, 2020 1 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOI’s Wildland Fire Management Program 

The DOI’s WFM program is composed of the four bureaus with wildland fire management responsibilities—the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service (NPS), and 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)—and the Office of Wildland Fire (OWF), which is responsible for 

program coordination, accountability, and oversight of the WFM program budget. The OWF coordinated a fire 

management request for CARES Act funding on behalf of the WFM program. The OWF request provided 

estimates of items needed upfront, as well as items needed on an ongoing basis through the end of the fiscal 

year. Because the OWF oversees the WFM program and coordinated most of the requests, we obtained data 

from the OWF. 

WFM Funding 

The Office of the Secretary made part of its $157.4 million of CARES Act funds available for the WFM 

program. To date, the DOI has approved funding for temporary firefighting facilities needed to maintain social 

distancing and quarantine protocol; PPE, such as masks, gloves, sanitizers, and thermometers; additional labor 

costs for operations and program management during the pandemic; and cleaning services and sanitation of 

facilities and vehicles. As of June 19, 2020, the WFM program has obligated $547,596 (or 5 percent) and spent 

$381,431 (or 3 percent) of the $11.3 million of approved funds (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1: Funding Approved Through September 30, 20201

WFM Funding Approved To Obligations To Expenditures To 

Program Date ($) Date ($)* Date ($)† 

Temporary Firefighting Facilities 

BIA 1,856,000 02 0 

BLM 3,223,000 343,571 177,406 

FWS 2,379,000 0 0 

NPS 3,438,000 0 0 

Subtotal $10,896,000 $343,571 $177,406 

Personal Protective Equipment 

BIA 1,000 0 0 

BLM 101,000 101,000 101,000 

FWS 1,000 0 0 

NPS 1,000 0 0 

Subtotal $104,000 $101,000 $101,000 

1 The funding data presented may not fully represent the total of funds available for the WFM program because the DOI allocated CARES Act 

funding directly to each bureau, which then distributed it to its fire management program.

2 We used zeros to indicate the DOI has approved funding, so we would expect to see an obligation or expenditure. 

CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-ER-042 • Issued July 31, 2020 2 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WFM Funding Approved To Obligations To Expenditures To 

Program Date ($) Date ($)* Date ($)† 

Labor Costs 

BIA 25,000 0 0 

BLM 200,000 100,025 100,025 

FWS 75,000 0 0 

NPS 0 0 0 

Subtotal $300,000 $100,025 $100,025 

Cleaning Services and Sanitation of Facilities and Vehicles 

BLM3 3,000 3,000 3,000 

Subtotal $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 

Totals $11,303,000 $547,596 $381,431 

* Obligations are legally binding agreements that will result in expenditures.

† Expenditures are payments of funds, such as when the DOI receives an invoice or a drawdown

submission. 

Suggested Improvement Actions 

The CARES Act requires agencies to obligate all appropriations by September 30, 2021, and implementation 

guidance states that agencies should fund programs to meet crucial needs. Because funding for wildland fires is 

typically spent in response to fire emergencies, certain categories, such as temporary firefighting facilities and 

labor costs, may take more time to obligate and expend funding, while categories like personal protective 

equipment and cleaning services—which can be stored and used immediately—can be obligated and spent more 

quickly. As the 2020 fire season ramps up, we expect to see an increase in obligation and expenditure of 

approved funds. 

We note that awards made in response to emergency situations are riskier than typical awards because they are 

awarded quickly and often without competition, and because they have a higher purchase threshold than other 

acquisitions. As a result, the DOI needs to carefully administer and manage CARES Act funds to ensure its 

bureaus spend funds effectively, considering the increased amount of money available, the potential for 

additional future costs, and the fast pace at which the money must be spent. 

We will continue to monitor the DOI’s and the WFM program’s progress against significant reporting 

milestones that our office previously outlined in our reports, Where’s the Money? DOI Use of CARES Act 

Funds as of April 28, 2020 (Report No. 2020-FIN-036) and May 2020: Where’s the Money? DOI CARES Act 

Funds as of May 31, 2020 (Report No. 2020-FIN-046). 

3 The BLM requested this funding directly and did not coordinate through the OWF. 

CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-ER-042 • Issued July 31, 2020 3