Spotfire!

EUGENE - Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE) released statements from wildland firefighters who currently serve on engine crews who oppose the Trump Administration's proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule ("Roadless Rule"). The Administration claims that roadless area protections impede wildfire suppression and that building new logging roads will help prevent wildfires by improving firefighter safety and efficiency. Engine crew members refute this claim, offering several reasons from their personal and professional experience why typical Forest Service logging roads present hazardous conditions for transporting and staging firefighting crews. The firefighters argue that aviation-supported handcrews are better suited to manage fires in rugged roadless terrain, and the absence of human communities or critical infrastructure in roadless wildlands provide more opportunities to safely manage fire in order to restore landscape wildfire resilience.

The dawning twilight signaled us that we had really contained this fire. Time to return to the jump spot where our mixed load of Jumpers from several bases stowed our cargo boxes. There we’d find a food bag and sleeping bag and reconnoiter a place on the slope that could be serviceable for a sleeping hootch. Then we will join the communal campfire for food, fabulous fables, and friendship. Here comes “the hour of the pearl” as Steinbeck called it…

Incendiary Imbeciles #12

For those whose destiny intertwines with fire lands, the ethics of wild, ethereal, untrammeled places become mosaics of parity and belonging. For those who journey born-again or always-been, stoic and bountiful firescapes bequeath thousands of beautiful, singular memories when encountered with abiding reverence. Wildfires can be stochastic and auspicious disturbances that bring great opportunities for ecosystems, firefighters, local contractors, and other parasites.

Many have dubbed the ongoing, prolonged military conflicts that litter the present political climate as “forever wars.” Most Americans are fed up with these perpetual conflicts, often started with empty promises from politicians and ending in massive numbers of lives lost and widespread destruction.

While these foreign “forever wars” can last decades, this is not the case with the “forever war” being waged on our home soil against the nation's public lands: the government's century-long war against wildfire.

Incendiary Imbeciles #11

Wildland firefighters remain united to safely and ethically work together to improve ecosystems and insure that no one is left behind. During burning out operations, these skookum fire practitioners, akin to ethical shepherds, make fire-prone ecosystems fire-permeable by herding low intensity fire into places where fuel can be safely consumed. But all bets are off when you can’t properly predict the weather!

Alongside Oregon Wild, FUSEE provides current policy and concerns about the encroaching fire season.

We interviewed Echo Cunningham (they/them), a Fire Specialist with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service / Alaska Fire Service, a cat parent, and passionate birder. Echo has attended two of FUSEE’s wildland firefighter retreats, and served as a peer leader at a retreat in January.

This Father’s Day, we honor all the dads who work in wildland fire. We interviewed Maxwell Hale, a Squad Leader of Redmond Hotshots, a Tribal citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and a father of three children: a 9 year old boy, 6 year old girl, and a 4 year old boy. Max has attended two of FUSEE’s wildland firefighter retreats, most recently in the fall as a firefighter leader.

Incendiary Imbeciles #10

Private inholdings surrounded by public land wilderness have dubious origins; usually because they originate from dubious mining claims. Some private backcountry ranches provide access through their landing-strip meadows. When allowed to fly in here, wildland workers can conduct public purposes such as enhancing ecosystems.

Public comment by FUSEE Board Member, Rich Fairbanks:

“I strongly support the Office of Personnel Management’s proposed rule to establish Hazardous Duty Pay (HDP) and Environmental Differential Pay (EDP) at a 25 percent rate for federal employees performing prescribed wildland fire activities. As someone who spent years on the fireline as a General Schedule seasonal firefighter conducting controlled burns, I can attest firsthand that this rulemaking is long overdue.