Lives on the line: Low pay has US wildland firefighters quitting
Lives on the line: Low pay has US wildland firefighters quitting
As wildfires get worse, firefighters are struggling to combat blazes and remain in a job with poor labour conditions.
Author: Nick Hilden
Published on: 15/02/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
The previous winter was one of the driest in decades and the summer temperature has been near record highs. The next morning, a fire crew that has spent the night mobilising to fight a 1,000-acre wildfire nearby is redirected to Thirtymile Fire. Most of the crew is young and inexperienced – for many it is their first fire season with the service. 14 firefighters are trapped behind a wall of flames when the fire overtakes them. The crew boss orders them to take cover on a stretch of river beach using last-ditch devices called fire shelters. But six of the crew either can’t hear or don’t listen. Federal firefighters are quitting in droves, with the Forest Service losing half its permanent staff since 2020. This is due to a strict ban on talking to the media, which has made it difficult to spread the word about issues that hamper firefighters but diminish the country’s readiness to confront the rising danger of fire in the face of climate change. Federal firefighters say this has been the situation for decades, with many currently earning as little as $15 an hour. Federal wildfire firefighters in California, by comparison, average about $40 per hour, with the national average at roughly $25. Congress approved a temporary annual retention bonus in 2021 providing $20,000 per year or 50 percent of a firefighter’s base pay to supplement their salary. Al Jazeera spoke with many federal firefighters who said they would quit if the pay supplement went away. Federal firefighters struggle with excruciating schedules, prolonged family separation and insufficient housing. According to one firefighter, she and her children can go weeks without seeing or even speaking to her husband due to a lack of cellular service. Many firefighters spoke of health issues that continue to plague them once they’ve returned home. A firefighter said they had at times been forced to sleep in cars or open fields when housing was declared unlivable. The Forest Service claims it has maintained near-replacement level hiring. In 1974, a big fire was 10,000 acres, and now a 10,000-acre fire is nothing. The Palisades fire in Los Angeles covered more than 23,000 acres. "I’m looking at a burned-out neighbourhood outside Pasadena, California, on the Eaton fire right now while I eat some lunch," a Forest Service veteran texted Al Jazeera from amid the fight against the recent Los Angeles fires. "If we don’t fix the problems ASAP, we won’t have the management and experience capacity left to take on fires like this," Scopa says.
Original: 2264 words
Summary: 421 words
Percent reduction: 81.40%
