Natural Resources Democrats Discuss Wildland Firefighter Health, Trump’s Failures to Protect Wildland Firefighters at Issues Forum

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Ranking Members Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) convened an issues forum titled “The Cost of Courage: How Our Wildland Firefighters Have Been Left Behind.” The Members and panelists discussed how Trump administration rollbacks and chronic underfunding have deepened a health crisis for wildland firefighters, halting cancer research, blocking safety protections, and abandoning crews on the frontlines of increasingly devastating wildfires.

“Failing to warn firefighters of the risks, failing to provide them adequate respiratory protection, and failing to provide adequate health coverage is only the beginning of a long list of wildland firefighters' challenges. And issue is not getting the attention it deserves. […] You shouldn't have to jump through hoops literally and figuratively to get the care that you need. Red tape, lack of clarity on coverage is unacceptable. […] Listening to many of you, I feel like the immediate goal for me is to see what we can do to get appropriate staffing so we can start addressing the issues immediately. And I'm grateful for the Forest Service making N95s available, but there are other options that we should be considering and getting those immediately out there,” said Rep. Dexter.

“I have been to many, many fire zones. I have lived in and around fire zones for multiple days on end. I know about the air quality issues and I know about some of the conditions that you folks run into just with such courage and you don't even think twice about it,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “I hope you know that we are trying despite this difficult political climate to have your back to make sure that we treat our firefighters well on the front end in terms of supporting them with good pay and agencies around them that are functional.”

Highlights from the Panelists

Isaac Karuzas, Wildland Firefighter

“After every one of these injuries, care was postponed, and payment was withheld due to the breakdown and workman's comp process.”
“My lung disease has caused permanent scarring, and my days are over as an elite wildland firefighter. As I research treatment, I often reflect on the job and how it placed me and those around me at a higher risk for pulmonary disease.”
“We always questioned as firefighters and never bought into the answer of it's safe but when duty called and the fire bell rang, we put our boots on and went to work.”
“I have come to terms with my life that my life expectancy has diminished but it's not over for me. I have plenty of fight left and I found purpose and advocacy for other firefighters. It's not too late to protect many of our brave young men and women.”

Dr. Matt Rahn, Executive Director for the Wildfire Conservancy

“This is not about lowering a gold star protection standard to 50%. It's about coming up from 0% right now. And creating interim and lasting meaningful recommendations and protections.”
“Our firefighters have given us their health and, too often, their many years of retirement. It's our turn to give them the tools, the standards, and the care worthy of the mission that we assign.”

Matthew Brossard, National Federation of Federal Employees

“We are seeing an increasing number of wildland firefighters suffer from cancers, chronic respiratory illness, cardiac conditions, and serious mental health challenges, including PTSD and suicide. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a growing, undeniable pattern resulting from years of exposure to smoke, hazardous chemicals, and extreme physical and emotional stress.”
“Federal firefighters, on the other hand, are still bringing contaminated gear home, potentially exposing their families to hazardous materials. Federal agencies have failed to adopt widely recognized National Fire Protection Association standards to provide even the most basic education and training on how firefighters can protect and care for themselves. This inaction is more than an oversight. It's a failure of leadership at every level.”
“Wildland firefighters are America's forgotten first responders. We show up when disaster strikes, yet when we are the ones in crisis, there is no dedicated support system for us. You have the power to change that.”
“We're not asking for special treatment. We're asking for the basic dignity and care that every public servant deserves.”

Dr. Jeff Burgess, University of Arizona

“While the use of respiratory protection for wildland firefighters is widespread in other parts of the world, wildland firefighters in the U.S. are generally not provided respirators.”
“It is essential to involve the wildland firefighters in planning how to protect their health. They know best what could work for them.”
“It is important that we care for the firefighters that keep all of us safe.”

Christopher Godfrey, Former Department of Labor

“Some of the examiners have publicly stated that they have upwards of 1,200 cases under their responsibility, which, in my opinion, is unconscionable.”
“Researchers confirm what firefighters already know, and that's that delayed care leads to worsened outcomes and higher costs.”
“When systems fail to deliver timely and coordinated care, workers don't heal, the costs skyrocket, and families and even communities face the consequences.”
“Firefighters should not face poverty, delay, and untreated illness simply because they became injured in the line of duty protecting the American public.”

Additional Background

Year after year, wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our communities from increasingly catastrophic wildfires and climate disasters, but their service comes at a cost. Firefighters are developing illnesses at alarming rates – and current policies and practices have left them behind.

The Trump administration’s rollbacks have left this growing health crisis unchecked, halting cancer research and abandoning work to reduce risks for frontline crews.

As the Trump administration continues to cut funding for the United States Forest Service (USFS), public reporting has surfaced underscoring the dire working conditions for wildland firefighters employed by the agency. Thanks to repeated pressure from Congressional Democrats, the Forest Service just reversed a decades-long mask ban, deploying N95s to America’s largest wildfires to protect firefighters from smoke and deadly toxins.

Press Contact

Mary Hurrell
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