Ending America's ‘Forever War’ on Wildfire
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.
10 Ways that the Climate Crisis, Wildfires and Militarism are Intertwined
The war on wildland fire is simply an extension of our country’s extreme militarism – a place where veterans of foreign wars, wanna-be cops, and other conservative-minded men, mostly, can assemble, bond, and wrap themselves in a narrative of strength, heroism and sacrifice. There is a place for men and women to suppress fires near homes and vulnerable infrastructure. However, claiming glorious victory when fires are easiest to suppress, go out on their own, or when a break in the weather moderates conditions is disingenuous.
Other Than Full Suppression
This essay was written in response to a recent post at Wildfire Today: Wildfire News and Opinion, titled, “Are we experiencing a “new normal” of wildland fire behavior?”
2018 California Incident Management Team (IMT) Workshop Notes
Notes from the 2018 California Incident Management Team (IMT) Workshop.