PORTLAND, Ore.– Amid efforts by the Trump administration to purge the federal workforce, a group of Democratic lawmakers in Washington state are voicing concerns that recent firings are “devastating” ahead of wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. According to the lawmakers, nearly 10% of the United States Forest Service workforce was impacted by recent federal firings, including roughly 260 workers across Washington and Oregon. …The coalition said even though the Trump administration previously noted public safety positions would be exempt from the firings, the lawmakers are seeing reports that Forest Service staffers supporting wildfire mitigation and response were still terminated. …Some USFS stations in Washington state are also seeing higher proportions of firings, the lawmakers said, including the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, where 46 USFS employees were terminated, along with at least 15 staffers working in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest.