Wildland firefighters are experiencing substantial pressure, often facing excessive workloads and insufficient pay, even as the demand for their services grows due to increasingly severe fires. To create a more robust and efficient workforce, a new report from Stanford University suggests enhancing opportunities for diverse candidates, reinforcing commitments to health equity, and investing in workplace culture.
Wildland firefighters are experiencing substantial pressure, often facing excessive workloads and insufficient pay, even as the demand for their services grows due to increasingly severe fires. To create a more robust and efficient workforce, a new report from Stanford University suggests enhancing opportunities for diverse candidates, reinforcing commitments to health equity, and investing in workplace culture.
During this season, California’s wildland firefighters hold their breath as dry, hot winds threaten to spread flames across the state. As the size and intensity of such fires increase throughout the Western U.S., the demands on fire managers have grown more intense. A recent report from Stanford University’s Climate and Energy Policy Program outlines a plan to promote a more inclusive, diverse, and well-supported workforce to handle the escalating need for fire prevention and management.
“The wellbeing of the wildland fire workforce is gaining national attention, but the specific recruitment and retention obstacles facing women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups in this field have often been neglected,” stated coauthor Abigail Varney, a wildland fire fellow at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and a federal wildland firefighter. “Boosting workforce capacity and efficiency will require better support for all firefighters in a more equitable manner.”
The report highlights various cultural, structural, and capacity-related challenges that have historically hindered a diverse range of individuals from entering and thriving in the fire management sector. Addressing these challenges will be vital in securing a workforce capable of tackling the wildfire crisis, according to the authors.
Addressing obstacles to transformation
Despite increasing awareness of the advantages of a diverse workforce, the wildland fire sector remains predominantly homogeneous. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office indicates that 84% of the federal fire management workforce are men, while 72% identify as white. The Stanford report identifies several reasons for this lack of diversity, such as implicit bias, unequal opportunities for career advancement, and a workplace culture that has systematically marginalized women and people of color.
To boost diversity and inclusivity within fire management, the report recommends various strategies, including outreach initiatives aimed at underrepresented groups, the development of more inclusive onboarding processes, and resources to assist firefighters’ families.
Enhancing health equity and workplace culture
Wildland firefighters face various physical and mental health issues stemming from hazardous working conditions, long hours, and high stress levels. Nonetheless, women and people of color may encounter these health challenges differently due to their specific needs or vulnerabilities. In its recommendations for advancing health equity, the report suggests expanding insurance coverage for reproductive health services, including coverage for cancers related to female reproductive organs, and enhancing mental health services that are sensitive to gender and culture.
The report also stresses the importance of cultivating a workplace culture within fire management agencies that nurtures an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued and supported. The authors advocate for regular assessments of workplace culture, along with mandatory training programs to tackle implicit bias, harassment, and discrimination. “By implementing the actions recommended in this report, lawmakers and fire management agencies can not only overcome recruitment and retention barriers but also build a workforce that is well-prepared and supported to face the challenges ahead,” explained coauthor Cassandra Jurenci, a wildfire legal fellow at Stanford Law School. Other coauthors include Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and Michael Mastrandrea, research director of the program. Wara and Mastrandrea serve as senior director for policy and director for policy, respectively, at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Sustainability Accelerator.
