Lessons learned from the Bighorn Fire
Even though the fire burned more than 120,000 acres, people's properties were kept safe and as a whole, the fire was deemed a success in that regard.
Tim Ingalsbee with the Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology said, "What they knew from the get-go is that there would be some benefit to fire, and so we are still trying to contain that fire and keep it away from communities." That is exactly what happened.
Even though the fire burned more than 120,000 acres, people's properties were kept safe and as a whole, the fire was deemed a success in that regard.
Tim Ingalsbee with the Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology said, "What they knew from the get-go is that there would be some benefit to fire, and so we are still trying to contain that fire and keep it away from communities." That is exactly what happened.
Our tinderbox world: Wildfires and risk reduction
“The following websites and organizations can help you identify and implement a number of concrete actions that could protect your community or your own family and residence from wildfires:…Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (ecological fire management), Indigenous Peoples Burning Network…”
“The following websites and organizations can help you identify and implement a number of concrete actions that could protect your community or your own family and residence from wildfires:…Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (ecological fire management), Indigenous Peoples Burning Network…”
Fundraiser offers a chance to shoot hoops for a good cause
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month and bolster wildfire resiliency efforts, a group of University of Oregon students and alums are working with local Indigenous fire practitioners on a fun-for-all approach to fundraising: basketball.
The group is turning one of its favorite hobbies into social good by organizing Oregon’s first Wildfire Resilience Hoop-A-Thon on Nov. 19. The event takes place at the UO’s McArthur Court with the goal of raising $100,000 for workforce development and wildfire resilience efforts around the state.
“Our generation needs pathways for resilience so we can live with fire on the landscape,” said Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter, FireGeneration researcher and economics student at the UO. “We face hotter and drier times ahead, but by preparing proactively we can be ready for both wildfires and the prescribed and cultural burning we need on the land.”
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month and bolster wildfire resiliency efforts, a group of University of Oregon students and alums are working with local Indigenous fire practitioners on a fun-for-all approach to fundraising: basketball.
The group is turning one of its favorite hobbies into social good by organizing Oregon’s first Wildfire Resilience Hoop-A-Thon on Nov. 19. The event takes place at the UO’s McArthur Court with the goal of raising $100,000 for workforce development and wildfire resilience efforts around the state.
“Our generation needs pathways for resilience so we can live with fire on the landscape,” said Kyle Trefny, a wildland firefighter, FireGeneration researcher and economics student at the UO. “We face hotter and drier times ahead, but by preparing proactively we can be ready for both wildfires and the prescribed and cultural burning we need on the land.”
It’s been 5 years since California’s deadliest wildfire. Can we stop it from happening again?
Those efforts might benefit communities immediately adjacent to the work, but the overall impact is likely to be small in a state with more than 30 million acres of forestland, said Zeke Lunder, a Chico-based pyrogeographer who also runs The Lookout, a wildfire information website.
Fuel-reduction work is “not necessarily going to fundamentally change the megafire regime,” said Lunder, noting that the Dixie fire burned a nearly million acres despite forest treatments in the area. He added that the Camp fire quickly transitioned from a wildfire to an urban conflagration, which highlights the importance of home-hardening efforts in addition to forest management.
Those efforts might benefit communities immediately adjacent to the work, but the overall impact is likely to be small in a state with more than 30 million acres of forestland, said Zeke Lunder, a Chico-based pyrogeographer who also runs The Lookout, a wildfire information website.
Fuel-reduction work is “not necessarily going to fundamentally change the megafire regime,” said Lunder, noting that the Dixie fire burned a nearly million acres despite forest treatments in the area. He added that the Camp fire quickly transitioned from a wildfire to an urban conflagration, which highlights the importance of home-hardening efforts in addition to forest management.
Burn before windy spring sparks uncontrolled blaze
The U.S. Forest Service is scrambling to correct the mistakes of generations of foresters who believed all fire was bad until the 1990s. Overgrazing, logging and fire suppression have left much of our forests in a mess, and the only realistic way to correct these past errors is with prescribed fire. Thinning close to homes and towns needs to happen, too, but the ultimate tool to protect wildlife habitat and ensure safety from future firestorms is prescribed fire.
The U.S. Forest Service is scrambling to correct the mistakes of generations of foresters who believed all fire was bad until the 1990s. Overgrazing, logging and fire suppression have left much of our forests in a mess, and the only realistic way to correct these past errors is with prescribed fire. Thinning close to homes and towns needs to happen, too, but the ultimate tool to protect wildlife habitat and ensure safety from future firestorms is prescribed fire.
FUSEE commends report, calls for paradigm shift from firefighting to firelighting
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, said the report essentially appeals for “a sociocultural paradigm shift” in society’s relationship with fire.
“Continued fire exclusion and systematic fire suppression is simply unsustainable from a socioeconomic and ecological standpoint,” Tim said. “All fire-dependent species and fire-adapted ecosystems in North America need more fire, not less, to recover from past fire exclusion and prepare for future climate change and wildfires.
Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology, said the report essentially appeals for “a sociocultural paradigm shift” in society’s relationship with fire.
“Continued fire exclusion and systematic fire suppression is simply unsustainable from a socioeconomic and ecological standpoint,” Tim said. “All fire-dependent species and fire-adapted ecosystems in North America need more fire, not less, to recover from past fire exclusion and prepare for future climate change and wildfires.
Cause of Oregon's devastating 2020 Labor Day wildfires still remains unknown
It’s been more than three years since historic wildfires tore through multiple Oregon communities, burning 1 million acres and forever altering the lives of thousands.
As communities rebuild, survivors put their lives back together and lawsuits assign blame, one element of recovery remains missing: an official cause for almost all of the fires.
Of the nine major Labor Day fires that exploded in Oregon in September 2020, eight remain either under investigation, incomplete or have not been made public.
"It’s shocking to me that they have not concluded the fire investigations," said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
It’s been more than three years since historic wildfires tore through multiple Oregon communities, burning 1 million acres and forever altering the lives of thousands.
As communities rebuild, survivors put their lives back together and lawsuits assign blame, one element of recovery remains missing: an official cause for almost all of the fires.
Of the nine major Labor Day fires that exploded in Oregon in September 2020, eight remain either under investigation, incomplete or have not been made public.
"It’s shocking to me that they have not concluded the fire investigations," said Tim Ingalsbee, executive director of the Eugene nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology.
Maui firefighters admit to taking lunch as Lahaina fire reignited
A crew of Maui firefighters took a lunch break on 8 August, thinking they had successfully tamped down a blaze threatening the town of Lahaina, only for the fire to later grow and race toward the historic town.
A crew of Maui firefighters took a lunch break on 8 August, thinking they had successfully tamped down a blaze threatening the town of Lahaina, only for the fire to later grow and race toward the historic town.
A wildland firefighter argues for setting more fires. Ryan Reed says: “In short, let’s look to Indigenous leadership.”
Reed is a member of the Karuk, Hupa and Yurok tribes in Northern California (those tribal lands are just across the Oregon border, and he got an environmental studies degree at the University of Oregon). Those tribes for years have lobbied the Forest Service for a return to Indigenous forestry practices, which include regular prescribed burns to reduce the underbrush that turns forests into tinderboxes. The concessions they’ve obtained—including the right for the Karuk Tribe to conduct controlled burns in Six Rivers National Forest—have been hard won.
Reed is a member of the Karuk, Hupa and Yurok tribes in Northern California (those tribal lands are just across the Oregon border, and he got an environmental studies degree at the University of Oregon). Those tribes for years have lobbied the Forest Service for a return to Indigenous forestry practices, which include regular prescribed burns to reduce the underbrush that turns forests into tinderboxes. The concessions they’ve obtained—including the right for the Karuk Tribe to conduct controlled burns in Six Rivers National Forest—have been hard won.
Maui firefighters took lunch as Lahaina blaze seemed dead. Then it grew.
Timothy Ingalsbee, a fire ecologist who is executive director of the education and advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Maui firefighters appeared to have followed standard operating procedures.
“It’s not unreasonable that they would disengage from that fire that they thought was fully contained and controlled,” he said. “When you’ve got running flames elsewhere on the island and you’ve got a crew that’s been working hard and needs to get a bit of rest before facing more obvious fire risks, it’s understandable.”
Timothy Ingalsbee, a fire ecologist who is executive director of the education and advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Maui firefighters appeared to have followed standard operating procedures.
“It’s not unreasonable that they would disengage from that fire that they thought was fully contained and controlled,” he said. “When you’ve got running flames elsewhere on the island and you’ve got a crew that’s been working hard and needs to get a bit of rest before facing more obvious fire risks, it’s understandable.”
Fire as medicine: Using fire to manage forests, prevent catastrophic wildfires in the Northwest
Indigenous communities in the region, including Reed’s, hope in turn that the tribal approach of setting beneficial fires will become a major facet of the Northwest Forest Plan’s update – and a way for people to reconnect with the land they inhabit.“We as humans have a responsibility to the landscape,” Reed said. “We’ve had a disconnect with the reciprocal relationship with the landscape and now we’re starting to feel the consequences.”
Indigenous communities in the region, including Reed’s, hope in turn that the tribal approach of setting beneficial fires will become a major facet of the Northwest Forest Plan’s update – and a way for people to reconnect with the land they inhabit. “We as humans have a responsibility to the landscape,” Reed said. “We’ve had a disconnect with the reciprocal relationship with the landscape and now we’re starting to feel the consequences.”
Our climate reality: Learn to live with wildfire
We need to shift the paradigm from fire prevention and suppression to fire preparation and restoration, while making a distinction between urban and wildland fires. Let’s do the simple things needed to keep fire out of our homes, and do the planning and preparation needed to safely put fire back into our forests and prairies.
We need to shift the paradigm from fire prevention and suppression to fire preparation and restoration, while making a distinction between urban and wildland fires. Let’s do the simple things needed to keep fire out of our homes, and do the planning and preparation needed to safely put fire back into our forests and prairies.
Good Fire Returns to Oregon’s Willamette Valley
These young burners hail from the brand new Willamette Valley Fire Collaboration. As an Indigenous crew, the module has self-dubbed as the “Wagon Burners,” taking back the power of the derogatory slur. Aside from their module leader, Sara Fraser, who came from Eugene-based Oregon Woods, the crew members are just starting their fire careers, eager to learn and excited to make a difference in the world of wildland fire management. From the moment they arrived back to Oregon from their prescribed fire projects on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State in mid-September of last year, they hit the ground running, ready to take on the remainder of a busy fall 2022 burning season.
These young burners hail from the brand new Willamette Valley Fire Collaboration. As an Indigenous crew, the module has self-dubbed as the “Wagon Burners,” taking back the power of the derogatory slur. Aside from their module leader, Sara Fraser, who came from Eugene-based Oregon Woods, the crew members are just starting their fire careers, eager to learn and excited to make a difference in the world of wildland fire management. From the moment they arrived back to Oregon from their prescribed fire projects on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State in mid-September of last year, they hit the ground running, ready to take on the remainder of a busy fall 2022 burning season.
Flat Fire in SW Oregon prompts questions about firefighting in Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said running bulldozers in the Kalmiopsis would be enormously destructive to a very fragile area.
"The scars from that use would far outlast the effects of the fire, and it would just be a mistake, not just to the spirit and intent of wilderness, but a real, real damage to the land itself," he said.
He also pointed to the benefits of wildfire as helping rejuvenate landscapes and reduce fuels in the environment.
"Fire is a natural process. Wildfire kind of helps keep the 'wild' in wilderness. Many other wilderness areas we have, the fire's influences account for its beauty, its wildness, its naturalness," he said.
Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said running bulldozers in the Kalmiopsis would be enormously destructive to a very fragile area.
"The scars from that use would far outlast the effects of the fire, and it would just be a mistake, not just to the spirit and intent of wilderness, but a real, real damage to the land itself," he said.
He also pointed to the benefits of wildfire as helping rejuvenate landscapes and reduce fuels in the environment.
"Fire is a natural process. Wildfire kind of helps keep the 'wild' in wilderness. Many other wilderness areas we have, the fire's influences account for its beauty, its wildness, its naturalness," he said.
Boosting firefighter pay gains momentum in Congress
“Young people are just not that interested in just jumping on a treadmill of endless attack of fires; they want to be part of solutions, particularly in the climate crisis,” said Tim Ingalsbee, a former wildland firefighter and co-founder of the group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
“Young people are just not that interested in just jumping on a treadmill of endless attack of fires; they want to be part of solutions, particularly in the climate crisis,” said Tim Ingalsbee, a former wildland firefighter and co-founder of the group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.
College students work to change our relationship with fire
“There needs to be a continuous place for our generation in [responding to] a crisis that we’re most impacted by,” said Kyle Trefny, a student at the University of Oregon and seasonal wildland firefighter.
“There needs to be a continuous place for our generation in [responding to] a crisis that we’re most impacted by,” said Kyle Trefny, a student at the University of Oregon and seasonal wildland firefighter.
The young people reshaping wildfire policy
In 2022, Reed, Trefny and two other students — Bradley Massey, a junior at Alabama A&M University, and Alyssa Worsham, who recently completed her master’s at Western Colorado University — formed the FireGeneration Collaborative (FireGen, for short), a group that advocates for centering Indigenous knowledge and bringing more young people into the wildfire space.
In 2022, Reed, Trefny and two other students — Bradley Massey, a junior at Alabama A&M University, and Alyssa Worsham, who recently completed her master’s at Western Colorado University — formed the FireGeneration Collaborative (FireGen, for short), a group that advocates for centering Indigenous knowledge and bringing more young people into the wildfire space.
Local firefighters tend to flames and mental health
Firefighters are often expected to work through anything without concern for their own well-being, according to wildland firefighter Courtney Kaltenbach, who is employed by a local contractor.
“Firefighting is an extremely patriarchal, masculine field, so it’s dominated by a culture of toxic masculinity, which is ‘don’t show any weakness,’ so already there’s a huge difficulty trying to change the culture around talking about mental health,” Kaltenbach said. “It’s especially difficult I think for people who aren’t men, mental health-wise, to exist in that world.”
Kaltenbach mentioned that in their experience, they have only just begun discussing mental health in their training process, but it is far from adequate.
Firefighters are often expected to work through anything without concern for their own well-being, according to wildland firefighter Courtney Kaltenbach, who is employed by a local contractor.
“Firefighting is an extremely patriarchal, masculine field, so it’s dominated by a culture of toxic masculinity, which is ‘don’t show any weakness,’ so already there’s a huge difficulty trying to change the culture around talking about mental health,” Kaltenbach said. “It’s especially difficult I think for people who aren’t men, mental health-wise, to exist in that world.”
Kaltenbach mentioned that in their experience, they have only just begun discussing mental health in their training process, but it is far from adequate.
Debate Over Wildfire Retardants Continues in CA
Some groups are pushing to stop the use of fire retardants dropped at wildfires, saying the impact on nature is worse than the fires they halt.
Some groups are pushing to stop the use of fire retardants dropped at wildfires, saying the impact on nature is worse than the fires they halt.
As California fire season begins, debate over wildfire retardant heats up
When it comes to preventative spraying along roadsides, Timothy Ingalsbee, a former wildland firefighter and executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, argued that resources would be better spent hardening homes and communities and conducting controlled burns, which are “more effective and actually less damaging than chemical warfare.”
Ingalsbee has long been critical of how fire authorities use air-dropped retardant in wilderness areas, saying the material is overused and frequently deployed in areas where its effectiveness is limited. The new product, he said, will only help the manufacturer earn even more profits. He calls the use of both materials “a government boondoggle.” “It is true that a lot of ignitions do start along roads, but how many roads do we have?” he said.
When it comes to preventative spraying along roadsides, Timothy Ingalsbee, a former wildland firefighter and executive director of the nonprofit Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, argued that resources would be better spent hardening homes and communities and conducting controlled burns, which are “more effective and actually less damaging than chemical warfare.”