Low Wages and Health Risks Are Crippling the U.S. Wildland Firefighting Forces

[SarahD]

1. It used to be like the military.

Most people did it for two or three seasons and then moved on to something else. Same way most military members finished one enlistment and moved on. The job has evolved, with longer fire seasons, more extreme fire behavior, and more people returning year after year. It's more like a real, professional career, but not always with the pay and advancement opportunities you would associate with fire departments or police forces.