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A bill that would permanently raise federal wildland firefighter pay has been introduced in the U.S. House, with bipartisan backing. While not the comprehensive reform many wanted, advocates are hopeful that the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act can be passed in time to avoid substantial pay cuts.

When wildfires burn, it seems like the flames go everywhere and it can be difficult to predict their path. Engineers from Colorado State University developed a model to help with those predictions.

Among the legislative solutions to the looming wildland firefighter pay cliff is the recently introduced Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which would create permanent raises. However, some advocates are concerned that even with the legislation, many firefighters could still see substantial cuts when funding for temporary raises runs out at the end of September.

Independent journalist Adriana Cargill shares how the experience and knowledge she gained from covering the Woolsey Fire might be helpful for Colorado residents during wildfire season.

Less than three months remain before federal wildland firefighters see their pay cut substantially 鈥� unless Congress intervenes soon. To raise pressure on legislators, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters has started circulating a petition demanding swift action, and in just a few days it has already gotten nearly 8,000 signatures.

A new report from Headwaters Economics and Columbia University鈥檚 Climate School paints a damning picture of wildfire policy priorities: those interventions most effective at protecting communities and ecosystems 鈥� like building codes, home hardening and prescribed fire 鈥� often get the least support, while the least effective (and even sometimes counterproductive) 鈥� like wildfire suppression 鈥� receive billions in funding.

In the first of five expected rounds of grant applications, the federal government awarded nearly $180 million to communities across the country to fund projects to reduce wildfire risk. The first round met the goals of prioritizing high-risk, low-income and disaster-impacted communities pretty well, but there鈥檚 still room for improvement.

In less than four months, temporary pay raises given to federal wildland firefighters are set to end, just as the season typically starts winding down. This week a group of Western senators, including one Republican, sent a letter to leaders of the Homeland Security Committee urging 鈥渟wift consideration of legislation that authorizes a long-term solution to increase wildland firefighter recruitment and retention.鈥� Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, said that 鈥渇ailure is not an option鈥� when it comes to addressing the pay issue.

The Marshall Fire that devastated Boulder County in December 2021 was caused by two fires that later became one, according to a newly-released investigation into the fire's origin.

The National Fire Registry, which seeks to better understand the link between firefighting and serious diseases like cancer, recently launched its online enrollment system. Wildland firefighters, who have proven more challenging research subjects than structure firefighters, are being encouraged to enroll.