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In this episode we spoke with Zeke Lunder, a pyrogeographer with a background in GIS and mapping on wildfires, and more recently with helping out on prescribed burns all over the West. We spoke about how the advancement of mapping and technology for use in fire suppression is misguided—and how those tech solutions would be better used as a way to get more prescribed fire on the ground. Zeke is from Chico, California, so we also spoke about the impacts of the Camp Fire and the North Complex/Bear Fire on his community, and how repetitive large fires re-traumatize communities like his. You can check us out on Twitter at @lwf_pod, or on Instagram at @lifewithfirepod. And as promised in the episode, here is the link for our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lifewithfirepod. Thanks for all of your continued support, shares, subscribes etc—every little bit of listener support helps us and our goal of educating folks about wildfires!

Wildfire Technology, Trauma and Other Tidbits, With Zeke Lunder

In this episode, we spoke with wildfire research extraordinaire Crystal Kolden, who is an assistant professor at UC-Merced. Crystal has a breadth of interests and areas of expertise, and is probably one of our favorite follows on &#8220;Wildfire&#8221; Twitter. We discussed her humanities background and what led her to an interest in wildfire, the wildfire misconceptions that most irk her and how we can better talk about wildfire impacts and wildfire topics in general. For more information on Crystal and her research, check out her Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/pyrogeog">@pyrogeog</a> or her website, <a href="https://www.pyrogeographer.com">www.pyrogeographer.com</a>. Life with Fire Podcast can be found on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/lifewithfirepod">@lifewithfirepod</a> or on Instagram at <a href="https://instagram.com/lifewithfirepod">@lifewithfirepod</a>. To support Life with Fire Podcast, check out our Patreon at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lifewithfirepod">https://www.patreon.com/lifewithfirepod</a>.

Wildfire Perceptions and Misconceptions with Crystal Kolden

In this episode we spoke with Will Harling about his work with the Mid-Klamath Watershed Council, as well as his experiences of growing up in Northern California on the banks of the Salmon and Klamath Rivers. Will had some fantastic insights on how prescribed fires are burdened with immense liability, restrictions and permitting, while wildfires are not treated the same—despite that modern wildfires are more severe because of human behaviors like full suppression firefighting and climate change. Will argues that modern wildfires are no longer an act of God, and that things like managing wildfires for prescriptive purposes could be a good step towards meeting forest management objectives. For more information on the Mid-Klamath Watershed Council—which Will is the executive director of—check out their <a href="http://www.mkwc.org/">website</a>:

Is Suppressing Wildfire Actually More Of A Liability Than Prescribed Burning? With Will Harling

In this episode, we speak with anthropologist Dr. Lindsey Raisa Feldman about her research on incarcerated fire crews in Arizona. Lindsey actually worked on the ground with these crews—and despite her assertion that she wasn&#8217;t a very good firefighter, she did come away with some important insights about the nature of incarcerated firefighting, as well as a few profound experiences of her own. Lindsey&#8217;s work can be found on <a href="https://www.lindseyraisa.com/">her website</a>. Follow Life with Fire! Find us at <a href="https://twitter.com/lwf_pod">@lwf_pod</a> on Twitter or <a href="https://instagram.com/lifewithfirepod">@lifewithfirepod</a> on Instagram. And if you enjoy the podcast, we&#8217;d be honored if you shared it or left a review for us on Apple Podcasts. Life with Fire is made possible with donations! If you dig the podcast, please consider donating to our <a href="https://patreon.com/lifewithfirepod">Patreon</a>.

Exploitation, Transformation and the Paradox of Incarcerated Firefighting with Dr. Lindsey Feldman

Wildland firefighters are disproportionately affected by depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicide and other mental health struggles. There are a number of reasons for this, but the biggest are quite simple: wildland firefighting is a high-stress job that takes firefighters away from their families for months at a time and often doesn&#8217;t come with appropriate pay or benefits given the sacrifices that these folks make every summer. With that lack of benefits comes a severe lack of mental health resources and care for laid-off firefighters, resulting in something of a mental health epidemic for a seasonal workforce that grows more essential—and more exhausted—by the year. This episode dives into what these struggles look like from the perspective of currently laid-off seasonal firefighters, who each spoke about their individual challenges with mental health and wellness.&nbsp;



Firefighters included in this episode: Ben McLane (hotshot), Coleman Wilson (handcrew member), Gabby Casper (rappeller), Eddie Klemencic (hotshot), Kat Sullivan (hotshot) and Livi Hughes (British Columbia Fire Service crewmember).&nbsp;



As promised in the episode, here are a few resources for wildland firefighters who are struggling with mental health challenges this off-season:



1. <a href="https://wffoundation.org/resources/reference/">Wildland Firefighter Foundation</a>—This organization provides emotional and financial support and assistance for wildland firefighters injured on the line, and also facilitates mental health support. The website above is a landing page for a variety of other mental health resources for firefighters.



2. Your crew! Call up your crewmembers from last summer and check in on them. It&#8217;s nice to talk to people who know the business and who understand what you&#8217;re going through on a more personal level.



3. <a href="https://www.wfgi.org/mental-health-resources">Wildland Firefighter Guardian Institute</a>—This organization covers mental health resources (including therapy and counseling!) at no cost to wildland firefighters.



4. Online therapy—lots of options, but <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/">Better Help</a> is a highly recommended (and decently affordable) one.



5. For military veterans: You local VA Center (not hospital) can provide mental health treatment. More info <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/index.asp?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=search-va&amp;utm_content=help&amp;utm_term=%2Bva%20%2Bmedical%20%2Bcenter&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAu8SABhAxEiwAsodSZB0WyjZJ0hF_ErGbqzG6rQfqtVCNih-LBcsXe2tGcYTOLTbIWdY2KBoCqs8QAvD_BwE">here</a>.

Off-Season Struggles: Understanding Wildland Firefighter Mental Health

Life with Fire Podcast

Life with Fire Podcast

Episodes

Ep. 14—Wildfire Technology, Trauma and Other Tidbits, With Zeke Lunder

Ep. 13—Wildfire Perceptions and Misconceptions with Crystal Kolden

Ep. 12—Is Suppressing Wildfire Actually More Of A Liability Than Prescribed Burning? With Will Harling

Ep. 11—Exploitation, Transformation and the Paradox of Incarcerated Firefighting with Dr. Lindsey Feldman

Ep. 10—Off-Season Struggles: Understanding Wildland Firefighter Mental Health

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