-
It’s something many current and former wildland firefighters ask themselves: what does all this smoke, dust and ash I’ve been breathing for months on end mean for my health? A new national registry for all firefighters could eventually shed a great deal more light on that largely unanswered question.
-
In less than four months, temporary pay raises given to federal wildland firefighters are set to end just as the season typically starts winding down. This week a group of Western senators, including one Republican, sent a letter to leaders of the Homeland Security Committee urging “swift consideration of legislation that authorizes a long-term solution to increase wildland firefighter recruitment and retention.” Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat, said that “failure is not an option” when it comes to addressing the pay issue.
-
Currently, such firefighters are facing an Oct. 1 end to temporary pay raises that were a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
-
The National Fire Registry, which seeks to better understand the link between firefighting and serious diseases like cancer, recently launched its online enrollment system. Wildland firefighters, who have proven more challenging research subjects than structure firefighters, are being encouraged to enroll.
-
The US Fire Administrator visited Boise this week, along with a number of other officials, to discuss a new national report on fire prevention and control. Among the key components is the promotion of enforcement of building codes - with the emphasis on structures in the wildland-urban interface - to improve fire resilience.
-
House Bill 118 was signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon on Feb. 28 and provides an additional several million dollars for funding pensions. Debate focused on how much should be added to the account and its solvency given current contributions and the state of the stock market, among others. It also aims to encourage additional volunteerism in these professions and will go into effect this summer.
-
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.
-
First ever first responder mental health and wellness conference hopes to increase awareness of needThe 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.