firefighters

The problem is a nationwide trend that's impacting fire departments and their ability to serve communities. Campbell County is one of the few counties that pays part-time firefighters and is tasked with covering approximately 5,000 square miles. Currently, there are 32 full-time firefighters and 56 part-time ones.

The state legislature allocated $25,000 of the budget to address high rates of suicides among first responders in the state. This money was taken by the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) and utilized to create the first ever First Responders Health and Wellness Conference that will take place August 22-24 in Casper. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska spoke with POST executive director Chris Walsh on why the conference is needed.

The conference, which will run from August 22-24 in Casper will offer police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and dispatchers, workshops and training on proper sleep, mental health, recognizing symptoms when people start to struggle and intervention methods.

In Boise's Warm Springs Mesa neighborhood, a new alert system is the latest step in efforts to improve the community's response and communication in the event of a wildfire or other emergency, as the memory of the Table Rock fire is still fresh for most residents.

Agencies like the Forest Service often use contract airplanes to drop fire retardant on wildfires. If resources fall short, though, a specialized team of military personnel can help. This year is shaping up to be another extreme fire season, so having this backup may be especially helpful.

This fire year is on track to be as extreme as the last few. At the same time, some Forest Service areas have had a hard time hiring enough wildland firefighters.

As wildfire season begins in earnest across parts of the Mountain West, firefighting agencies will also be battling the tightest labor market in decades and a housing affordability crisis. A Bureau of Land Management spokesperson at the National Interagency Fire Center, doesn't expect staffing to be an issue. She says that while fire seasons are becoming "fire years," the real focus is juggling and balancing the teams’ schedules.

Wyoming State Forestry Division officials say that they have vacancies they are seeking to fill in both firefighting and non-firefighting roles. Though they say they're fairly well positioned for this fire season thus far, this could change if fires and resources are stretched thin. Local and state agencies, as well as the federal government have regularly experienced firefighting personnel shortages, which comes as fires are burning larger areas and are more frequent.

The Interior Department’s Deputy Secretary is visiting several places around the West to tout federal funding for wildland firefighting. That included a stop in Boise on Monday, where he toured the National Interagency Fire Center and attended a briefing on this year’s upcoming fire season.

This week, the U.S. Congress Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands heard testimony from stakeholders who are advocating for the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act.