Spotfire!

Cultural burns are central to the restoration and protection of our shared land and waterscapes. The Native-led Traditional Ecological Inquiry Program (TEIP) rebuilds our relationships with each other, the land, and fire by amplifying Indigenous voices and traditional ecological knowledge in environmental education and stewardship.

I am honored to share a glimpse into the profound experience that unfolded at our recent Firefighter Wellness Retreat at Wellspring Spa and Retreat in Ashford, Washington. This gathering brought together 21 wildland firefighters from across the West, from Washington to Alaska, Oregon to Colorado, including smokejumpers, hotshots, early-career firefighters, and others nearing retirement.

FUSEE had the pleasure of displaying non-toxic firefighter uniforms (“yellows”) at our 2025 Fall Fire Festival. Sasha White, the creator of “No Man’s Yellow,” uses silk noil fabric and natural dyes, focusing on a fit that works better for female bodies as opposed to standard issued Nomex that has been found to contain PFAS and caters to male bodies.

Secretarial Orders from the DOI and USDA were released on September 15th announcing steps they will take to implement Trump's Executive Order #14308 that mandated consolidation of all federal fire management programs. Issued last June, Trump demanded that this radical restructuring of federal fire programs be accomplished within 90 days--essentially, during peak wildfire season in the west!

Incendiary Imbeciles #9

Hazing can be a heuristic teaching method for beginning wildland firefighters. If inclusive and genteel, hazing helps shrink hubris, arrogance, and exaggerated self-confidence. New and unexpected dangers lurk on any wildfire. Best to keep that sense of humbleness handy. But sometimes that humility must be kicked into the head of the hazer.

Introduction

The USDA's July 25th memorandum ordering a comprehensive reorganization of the $203 billion agency raises serious questions about the true motivations behind this restructuring. While framed in terms of efficiency and customer service, the proposed changes appear to represent a strategic power shift that could undermine effective federal land management and scientific forestry practices.

Prescription for Safety (P4S) is a community led group located in the Little Applegate in Southern Oregon, focused on implementing fuels treatments along critical evacuation routes in the area.

The death toll from the flooding in Kerr county has risen to 43, including 15 children, the sheriff Larry Leitha said at a briefing. As of 5.30pm on July 5th, he added, officials were still working to identify 12 of the recovered adults and five of the children.

Dalton Rice, the Kerrville city manager, said that 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River, are still missing. Other people who were in the area but not at the camp could also be missing, Rice added.

A wildfire response in northern Idaho turned into a deadly ambush on Sunday, as firefighters arriving on scene were met with sniper fire from a concealed gunman. Two firefighters are confirmed dead, and a third remains in critical condition following what officials are calling a premeditated attack on public safety personnel.

I believe this is more than a policy debate. It is a spiritual conflict about the role of humanity in nature. One side envisions a world sanitized of risk and irregularity — a world governed by remote sensing, machine learning, and automated suppression. The other side honors fire as a regenerative life force. As an ecological fire practitioner and educator, I know which side I stand on.