Wildfires are always burning somewhere in the United States (See the Active Wildfire Map).
Dedicated men and women endure exhausting work, harsh living conditions, and long separations from friends and family to protect you and our nation’s natural resources from the impacts of unwanted wildfires. The work of wildland firefighters benefits us all, yet most people know very little about who they are, what they do and the tools of their trade.
High-tech firefighting tools – like satellite imagery, fire behavior modeling, fire-retardant materials and water delivery systems – continue to improve, but the most crucial elements are still wildland firefighters and hand tools.