firefighters

The majority of the state is either abnormally dry, or in moderate or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The state will now have two full-time smokebusters. These are wildland firefighters who are currently incarcerated by the state of Wyoming.

Gov. Mark Gordon signed 21 bills into law on Friday. Some are expected to help alleviate maternity health deserts, boost firefighter recruitment and retention, and increase Hathaway Scholarship awards in the state.

The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act was introduced by Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar in January, but has received substantial bipartisan support.

The Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act was introduced by Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Utah Senator John Curtis. If passed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal officials would have one year to develop a plan to make “commercially available appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment for wildland firefighters and supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure surpasses covered permissible exposure limits.”

The tragic Los Angeles fires were a historically destructive disaster, but they also presented a unique opportunity to study the toxic exposures faced by firefighters. New findings point to a heightened risk for serious diseases like lupus.

When conditions allow for it to be done safely, research strongly suggests that land managers should let some fires burn to reduce the risk of catastrophic blazes. But making that decision can be complicated. A new study highlights ways to incentivize that often difficult call.

Towns like Pine Haven rely on a network of volunteer firefighters with limited resources to battle sometimes-deadly blazes. In Crook County, property tax cuts have slashed an account meant for new fire engines and equipment.

Wildfire and other emergency response personnel will continue working during the federal government shutdown that began this week, but advocates warn that those workers could still be impacted.

Earlier this year, the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer (NFR) went offline in the wake of massive layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services. But since restarting in May, enrollment has surged by roughly 8,000.