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Last week Congress passed another continuing resolution that includes an extension of temporary raises for wildland firefighters through early next year. Advocates say that’s better than nothing, but also that the lack of a permanent pay solution is having real effects on hiring managers and firefighter morale.
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A new study shows that grassland fires burn more land and destroy more homes than forest fires. Yet more homes are being built in these fire-prone areas across the nation, including the Mountain West.
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A new paper analyzing the effectiveness of prescribed fire finds that they can substantially reduce the probability of high-intensity fires for as long as six years after the burn.
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The Nature Conservancy has been working with prescribed fire for years, often with federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service. Leaders say a new multiyear agreement with the USFS and other recent developments will help get more beneficial fire on the ground, and could serve as a model for expanding prescribed fire efforts across the region.
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The move comes amid broader efforts to address longstanding working condition issues in the federal fire force.
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In recent years, wildland firefighters have organized to demand change – and have chalked up some notable successes. With longstanding pay issues still unresolved, spouses of firefighters are also starting to organize. Some of them recently formed the group Fired UP to help channel their grievances – and push for additional reforms.
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With the historic Canadian wildfires and tragic blaze in Maui, it’s been a notable fire season in some ways. But as it draws to a close, the number of acres burned in the United States is far below recent years.
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With a last-minute continuing resolution passed over the weekend, the feared wildland firefighter pay cliff has been kicked down the road to November. But with substantial pay cuts still looming, firefighter advocacy groups are going to push for a full, permanent fix, like the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which enjoys substantial bipartisan support.
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The Mountain West has seen a record increase in wildfires over the past couple years, and even if a fire was not burning in the state, smoke from these fires drifted across the region. Now, new research is showing that exposure to wildfire smoke can have negative effects on the brain.
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A federal commission has released a report with nearly 150 consensus recommendations on battling wildfire – everything from increasing the use of prescribed fire to adequately paying wildfire personnel.