Founder’s desk

31 January, 2025

Fire safe communities: What will it take?

In the first weeks of 2025, Los Angeles County, California, experienced catastrophic impacts from multiple wildfires, estimated to be the most devastating and costliest disaster in America’s modern history. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected communities, first responders, and frontline crews tirelessly working to respond, recover, and rebuild homes and lives devastated by these fires. 

In light of this cascading disaster, and especially as the Trump-Vance administration adopts new policies for disaster resilience and adaptation, I want to underscore the urgent need for retaining, expanding, and modernizing our nation's fire and forestry workforce. 

Addressing the nation’s continuing wildfire and smoke crisis will require an expanded, cross-trained, and year-round workforce. The LA disaster required significant local, state, regional, federal, and private capacities to coordinate a suitable response. Yet, these myriad capacities have not been adequately trained or deployed to mitigate the issues that cause fire disasters: fuels reduction, home hardening, and community preparedness.

Developing a year-round workforce that is cross-trained to manage urban and rural landscapes and implement community mitigations will be essential to manage spiraling wildfire and smoke risks effectively.

The fire and forestry industry is experiencing a defining moment. In the aftermath of the LA disaster, thousands of people across America have been looking to bring their transferable skills to critical fire and forestry work. However, the nation’s current workforce development systems are not fit for purpose, to attract or retain workers in sustainable career pathways. Legacy systems and the policies that govern them, have not kept pace with the changing needs or evolving conditions of the fire and forestry industry.

How can we make fire and forestry work a sustainable career path for millions of talented professionals across the country?

The Trump-Vance administration must work with the public and private sectors to create systems that democratize access to whole-person development, lifelong learning, and career mobility with more opportunities for upskilling and pathways for non-degree credentials.

The Trump-Vance administration must support the development of virtual and hybrid training platforms to efficiently certify workers to conduct a range of wildfire management, mitigation, and restoration actions. Such trainings must emphasize multi-disciplinary skills, enabling personnel to shift between active fire management, ecological restoration, infrastructure assessments, and property mitigations.

Federal and state programs must continue to provide targeted support for communities most affected by wildfires, especially Tribal and rural populations. Expanding federal support to conservation corps, apprenticeship programs, and mentee and volunteer opportunities in affected and at risk communities will allow workers to earn while they learn, creating accessible pathways into this area of work.

A revitalization of the fire and forestry workforce system must be implemented through private and non-profit partnerships already leading the way in ensuring that fire and forestry careers are dignified, sustainable, and capable of securing a future for all American workers.

This is why FireUp exists. We recognize that this paradigm shift requires a bold policy agenda that modernizes traditional degree-focused and workforce training pipeline models to instead meet people where they are in their life and career. Every American deserves boundless pathways to pursue a rewarding career and meaningful life.

In this challenging time, I urge everyone to bring their transferable skills to fire and forestry work, even in a volunteer capacity. We need all hands on deck to implement effective wildfire risk management solutions.

Reach out if you have questions about entry points on how to get started in fire and forestry work. FireUp is committed to hosting monthly Career Days and Job Fairs to attract and retain a larger workforce that is adequately cross-trained for wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery management. 

For anyone affected by the Los Angeles wildfires or looking to help, here is a live spreadsheet of mutual aid resources. As you contribute your passion and skills to mitigating North America’s wildfire crisis, please take care of yourself. The well-being section of this newsletter has many useful leads on well-being resources.

The wildfire challenge is immense, but with aligned action and investment, we can double down on empowering a workforce that works to reduce community vulnerability and safeguard ecosystems all year round. 

In partnership,

Shefali

Shefali J Lakhina, PhD

Founder & CEO, FireUp