US Forest Service expects future challenges in recruiting wildland fire crews

Published: Aug 21, 2024 Duration: 00:03:13 Category: News & Politics

Tags : news utah CBS Salt Lake City KUTV Channel 2

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ALL NEW AT TEN TONIGHT WHEN A WILDFIRE IGNITES AND BEGINS A DANGEROUS SPREAD TOWARDS HOMES, SOMEONE HAS TO BE THERE TO STOP IT. >>BUT JAKE TAYLOR SHOWS US WHY FINDING ENOUGH PEOPLE TO TAKE ON THIS JOB IS BECOMING A TALLER AND TALLER TASK. THE FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYS THOUSANDS OF WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS, BUT SAY WHAT THEY HAVE NOW WON'T BE ENOUGH FOR WHAT'S COMING >>IT IS VERY ARDUOUS. THE WORK CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT REPORTER A CHALLENGE TO KEEP ENOUGH FIREFIGHTERS ON THE FIRE LINE DEFENDING COMMUNITIES. AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON. OFFICIALS SAY MOST FIRE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED. BUT RECRUITMENT IS TOUGH RIGHT NOW THEY SAY NEXT YEAR WILL REQUIRE HUNDREDS MORE AND AGAIN THE YEAR AFTER THAT AND YEAR AFTER THAT. WILL IT BE HARD TO KEEP UP >>WITHOUT HESITATION, I WOULD ANSWER YES. >>IT SEEMS THAT THE FIRE SEASON IS LONGER, MORE EXTREME. >>ADDING TO THE CHALLENGE OF FILLING THESE POSITIONS IS HOW CHALLENGING THE ACTUAL JOB IS. >>WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING IS VERY EXTREME, RIGHT? IT'S PHYSICALLY DEMANDING, MENTALLY DEMANDING EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING, PUTTING A BURDEN ON FAMILY AS WELL. THE THING THAT STICKS WITH ME IS THE TIME AWAY. I REMEMBER THAT THE MOST THESE DIFFICULTIES SOMETIMES FORCING EXPERIENCED FIREFIGHTERS OUT SO AT ANY TIME THEY COULD BE AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILY 25 DAYS ON THE ON THE HIGHER END AND AT LEAST 16 DAYS AT A TIME. SO IT'S VERY HARD TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THOSE JOBS. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TRY IT FOR A YEAR OR DO IT FOR A CAREER. >>TIM TURNER LEADS WASATCH HELITACK WHEN FIRE BEGINS TO SPREAD SOMEWHERE NO ONE ELSE CAN REACH WITHIN MINUTES A TINY TEAM FILLS THIS HELICOPTER AND RACES TO THE SMOKE. BUT 24 YEARS AGO, HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSINESS CAREER, WEARING A SUIT AND WINGTIPS ON HIS FIRST SEASON, HE FOUGHT FIRES IN THE BAKING HEAT OF SAINT GEORGE, UTAH. IT REALLY IS, AT THE END OF THE DAY, A JOB OF SERVICE AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I CAN HOLD MY HEAD A LITTLE HIGHER AND MY BACK A LITTLE STRAIGHTER. AND TURNER SAYS THE THRILL OF TAKING A HELICOPTER TO THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN TO GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH A FAST MOVING WILDFIRE IS LIKE FULFILLING A CHILDHOOD DREAM THAT EXCITEMENT DOESN'T LEAVE FROM WHEN YOU'RE THREE YEARS OLD TO 30 YEARS OLD. IT'S PRETTY FUN. >>A LOT OF PEOPLE GET INTO IT AND LOVE IT. SOME DON'T, BUT DREAMS HAVE TO PAY THE BILLS. >>A 2021 CONGRESSIONAL LAW INCREASED WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER PAY, BUT THAT'S SET TO EXPIRE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. SOME COULD SEE PAY CUTS BY AS MUCH AS 50%. >>THE COST OF LIVING IS WAY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT WAS IN THE PAST. A BILL TO KEEP THAT PAY INCREASE HAS PASSED THE HOUSE AND IS IN THE SENATE. >>IF IN COMING YEARS A FIRE RAGES CLOSE TO YOUR HOME, HOW YOU'RE PROTECTED MAY DEPEND ON HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE PERSUADED TO TAKE ON THIS JOB. >>DEPENDS ON WHAT THE ECONOMY IS DOING, WHAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS, WHAT INFLATION LOOKS LIKE, WHAT ENTRY LEVEL JOBS ARE HIRING AT >>I'M TOLD LAST SEASON THE REGION NEEDED ABOUT 1200 FIREFIGHTERS THIS SEASON NEEDED ABOUT 150. MORE THAN THAT A SIMILAR STORY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THEY EXPEC

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