A new fire paradigm is emerging.

The nation’s wildfire-fighting corps is a mix of state, local and federal workers and private crews-for-hire who work together. As more than 100 wildfires burn in 15 states, state resources are strained. At the same time, the federal government has cut jobs at the U.S. Forest Service and is consolidating its firefighting capabilities. The result is confusion, supply problems and slower responses, according to former Forest Service officials and the union representing the agency’s workers.

The Warner Creek campaign resembled a local social movement that was widely supported because it held the moral high ground righteously opposing the crimes of forest arson and lawless salvage logging. Over the course of five years there were many people engaged in countless collective actions, facing risks and making personal sacrifices, who were also crucial to its victory. As the first draft of history, journalism has understandably failed to cite those unheralded individuals who also deserve public acknowledgment of their civic heroism. 

Organizations like Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE) and FireGeneration Collaborative inspire us. FUSEE, an organization promoting ecological fire management, has repeatedly announced that “Fire melts ICE” and “Fire and ICE don’t mix,” opposing the detention and deportation of wildland firefighters. Alongside FireGeneration Collaborative, they have organized to support Brian “Hakiym” Simpson, a Black firefighter imprisoned as the result of defending himself during a racially motivated assault. They continue to amplify calls for Tribal sovereignty and support Indigenous cultural burning practices. This includes the impressive work of FireGeneration Collaborative, which aims to transform fire culture by centering Indigenous leadership and diverse young people.