Several senators are asking the U.S. Forest Service why programs aimed at providing wildland fire training specifically to women were cut and to reinstate those programs.
Nine Democratic lawmakers – including those from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada – said recent mass firings in the federal government have left firefighters under-supported. Their letter said that women firefighters are underrepresented at the Forest Service and make up only 13% of the service’s fire management personnel, making programs such as the Women in Wildfire Boot Camps important.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote: “Eliminating a successful outreach program such as the WIWF Boot Camps unnecessarily limits recruitment to a smaller pool of potential trainees when there is already a shortage of skilled and willing potential workers in a field where more dedicated and motivated personnel are urgently needed.”
Abigail Varney is a member of a Forest Service Hotshot crew. The elite group of wildland firefighters perform some of the most demanding and hazardous tasks during incidents. She’s among the few women on the front lines.
She said the Women in Wildfire Bootcamps helped advance women in their careers and diversify the Forest Service.
“So that requires a diversity of perspectives and types of expertise and backgrounds,” Varney said. “And research shows that the representation of different perspectives improves our ability to manage risks, to build strong teams, and to earn community trust.”
It’s also about building competence – what any firefighter values most.
“It’s the ability to operate safely, it’s the ability to perform tasks to a high standard, to have strong relationships with members of your crew. And so programs like the Women In Fire Bootcamp help build those skills and I think those should be valued,” said Varney.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between YOUR STATION, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Demand Reinstatement of Critical Wildfire Preparedness Program
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and eight of her colleagues on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) requesting an explanation for the elimination of the Women in Wildfire (WIWF) Bootcamps program and demanding its reinstatement. The WIWF Bootcamps provided essential training to women considering careers as wildland firefighters or fire management professionals. Its elimination will harm recruitment efforts at a time when firefighters are needed more than ever.
This year alone, the U.S. has experienced 48,458 wildfires that have burned more than four million acres across dozens of states.
“The WIWF program was established in 2011 by a group of dedicated female firefighting professionals employed by the U.S. Forest Service for the purpose of increasing firefighter recruitment within Federal land management agencies,” the senators began. “The program gave both women and interested men an opportunity to learn the basic skills, requirements, and knowledge necessary to begin a career as a wildland firefighter or in related wildfire and natural resource management position. […] This program armed its participants with the knowledge and confidence to apply for further training and full-time wildland fire management positions.”
“At minimal cost to the federal government, WIWF expanded recruitment opportunities at the USFS and other land management agencies to include more women, who are under-represented in U.S. Forest Service Fire Management personnel at all levels, and make up only 13 percent of USFS Fire Management personnel […],” they continued. “Graduates of these boot camps have gone on to work in fields across the fire management profession, with many becoming seasonal wildland firefighters, and others working on fuels crews, Hotshot Crews, fire engines, and more. Many graduates went on to become full-time employees at USFS, BLM, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service”
“Thousands of firings at land management agencies across the country have already left land managers understaffed for upcoming fire seasons […],” they concluded. “Wildfire management is a year-round task that requires constant attention and skilled labor. Eliminating a successful outreach program such as the WIWF Boot Camps unnecessarily limits recruitment to a smaller pool of potential trainees when there is already a shortage of skilled and willing potential workers in a field where more dedicated and motivated personnel are urgently needed.”
In addition to Senator Cortez Masto, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).
The full text of the letter is available here.
Senator Cortez Masto has led efforts to support Nevada firefighters and combat the wildfire crisis in the West, securing billions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to support wildfire risk reduction and new firefighting equipment. In November, she visited the burn scar of the Davis Fire and discussed the key resources she has delivered for wildfires fuels reduction in Northern Nevada. She also ensured all federal wildland firefighters – including many working in Nevada – got a significant pay raise in 2023 and helped designate the Sierra and Elko Fronts as Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes for wildfire prevention efforts.
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