Construct the El Portal Wildland Fire Barracks

The Fire Barracks will be in the El Portal Administrative Site of Yosemite National Park inside the Rancheria employee housing area. Siting the proposed barracks within an existing housing area with proximity to water, power and sewer infrastructure will provide a sense of community for the occupants of the building with the rest of the Rancheria community. The single-story structure will house 20 seasonal employees year-round. We will explore various type of construction during design to include modular and stick built options, using a similar design to fire barracks constructed at other Department of the Interior fire stations, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There will be individual bedrooms with communal restrooms, kitchen, and living room areas. Housing firefighters in a common barracks will contribute to work group cohesion and rapid response to wildland fires outside of regular work hours. The barracks site is approximately a five-minute drive to the El Portal Fire Station, which is planned to be rebuilt following the construction of the Fire Barracks.

Each year Yosemite Fire hiring officials are forced to make hiring decisions based on available housing space which limits wildland fire response capacity and the ability to complete mechanical and prescribed fire fuel reduction projects throughout the park. This project would secure consolidated year-round housing space for crewmembers of the seven-person El Portal Engine and the 10-person Yosemite Wildfire Module and allow for additional staff to complete off-season fuels projects. Firefighters currently experience housing stress as they continue to encounter limited or unaffordable housing options which is a factor in retaining staff and maintaining firefighting capacity. Firefighters work long and irregular shifts; they often arrive and depart their housing unit at late and early hours. Because of their unique schedules, housing firefighters in the same building provides cohesiveness to the firefighting units and is less disruptive to non-fire roommates. Having a modern, air-conditioned, secure barracks will improve employee morale and ensure fire staff remain rested and response ready.

This project aligns with direction contained in the President's FY24 Budget: "The 2024 budget also increases funding for Facilities Construction and Maintenance by $22.0 million to repair, renovate, modernize, and construct housing for personnel (see the "Facilities Construction and Maintenance" section of this justification). These funds will go a long way toward addressing the problem of inadequate or unaffordable housing facing many wildland firefighters working in certain geographic locations "