The man suspected of shooting and killing two firefighters in Idaho has been identified by local authorities.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, at a press conference Monday afternoon, said investigators identified the deceased suspect as Wess Roley. Law enforcement found Roley’s body at the scene of the fatal Idaho wildfire shooting, along with a high-powered rifle and a flint starter, which investigators believe he used to start the wildfire to lure firefighters into an ambush, according to Norris. Investigators did not share how they believe Roley died.
Norris said Roley had no criminal history and local law enforcement had five interactions with him, but they were minor. Roley also has no link to any international or domestic terrorist organization. Investigators said they discovered that Roley, at one time, wanted to be a firefighter, but there is still no clear indication of motive.
Investigators believe Roley shot and killed himself at the scene of the crime.
“We’re still processing the scene, and it’s going to take a few days to do that, especially with the current fire that’s there,” Norris said.
The wildfire that investigators believe was started by Roley, named the Nettleton Gulch Fire, remains at 26 acres. Norris said firefighters believe they’ll have the fire contained by Monday night.
WildfireToday and the International Association of Wildland Fire share our condolences with the families of the victims.
Hours after firefighters in Idaho broadcast they were being shot at, two of the firefighters are dead and the lone gunman’s body has been recovered, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a press conference Sunday night.
A firefighter from the Coeur D’Alene Fire Department and a firefighter from the Kootenai County Fire & Rescue were those who died. A third firefighter was shot and was in critical condition before being transported to a local hospital. Norris said that the firefighter’s condition is now stable after undergoing surgery.
Firefighters responded to the wildfire near the town of Coeur D’Alene at around 1:21 p.m. on Sunday, according to Norris. Calls for shots fired were sent out at around 2 p.m.
Law enforcement officers who responded to the scene reportedly exchanged gunfire with the suspect between 2 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. During that time, officers used what they called a “cell phone activation” to pinpoint the shooter’s location.
The activation found a phone that had been sitting in the same spot for hours. That’s where law enforcement would eventually recover the suspect’s body, along with a high-powered rifle. Investigators have not shared how they believe the suspect died.
“Keep in mind, we had a fire that was rapidly approaching the body, so we had to scoop up that body and transport it to another location…we believe that is the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,” Norris said.
Investigators believe the suspect, who has since been identified as Wess Roley, started the fire to lure firefighters to the location for an ambush. Norris said Roley had no criminal history and local law enforcement had five interactions with him, but they were minor.
Norris said investigators would not release the identities of the victims, as the investigation is still in its very early stages.
The wildfire, named the Nettleton Gulch Fire, has burned 26 acres and is 0% contained as of Monday morning, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.
WildfireToday and the International Association of Wildland Fire share our condolences with the families of the victims.
The United States’ wildland firefighting force was called the “very best 1990s firefighters” during a congressional hearing on Thursday morning.
San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Chief Dan Munsey, speaking at a hearing held at the House Committee on Natural Resources, said it’s a misnomer to say the US has the most “technologically advanced” firefighting force, since firefighters on the ground are using paper maps and radios from decades ago, compared with the modern technology available to the general public today. Munsey attributed the failure to use modern technology to federal barriers.
“We are slow to innovate, we are burdened by the regulatory process, we are hampered by lengthy bureaucratic procurement processes, and we lack access to fundamental tools,” Munsey said. “We don’t have a technology problem in the United States to combat wildfire; we have a technology adoption problem.”
Lawmakers invited wildfire technology experts to Capitol Hill to start fixing the problem Munsey spoke on. Thursday’s hearing focused on advancing innovative technology for forest management and wildfire prevention. Although some portions were overshadowed by partisan back-and-forths over whose fault the current wildland fire crisis is, lawmakers shared a common goal of adopting more technological advancements to meet the crisis and prevent future tragedies.
The wildfire technology sector continues to grow, including the launch of the Association of Firetech Innovation, which claims to be the first trade association dedicated to supporting technology focused on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response. The association plans to act as a “central force for policy engagement, investment, and industry collaboration,” and was meeting with congressional leaders as the hearing went on.
One of the association’s founding member CEOs, Allison Wolff with Vibrant Planet, was also a speaker at the hearing and released research showing how a federal investment of $9 million in wildfire risk mitigation treatments would have slowed January’s Eaton Fire enough to mitigate much of the $40 billion in damages the community of Altadena experienced from the fire.
Data analyzed by Vibrant Planet found 300 communities in eight states have a 98% to 100% wildfire risk, similar to Altadena. Wolff also estimated that investing between $40 billion to $73 billion in risk mitigation in communities similar to Altadena, the nation can avoid up to $435 billion in insured losses.
“The problem is that today, without modern tools like ours, it can take three, five, to even 10 years to get to an implementation plan,” Wolff said. “Often, the data is low-quality, and collaborators are often planning on paper. Plans are often obsolete by the time they hit print because the landscape has already burned.”
Many Democratic lawmakers pointed out that the Trump administration’s recent budget cuts to research and development at the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior would further slow getting new technologies into firefighters’ hands. Karen Howard, director of science and technology assessment at the US Government Accountability Office, agreed, saying having new tools does nothing if systems aren’t in place to study and use them.
“You could have a beautiful tool that tells you where hazardous fuel reduction will be most effective, but if the agencies…don’t have the resources to conduct that hazardous fuels reduction, the model doesn’t do us a lot of good,” Howard said.
The job of wildland firefighters is “inherently dangerous,” but an analysis of nearly 500 wildland firefighter injuries over four years in the United States found no single activity on the job is more dangerous than another.
The analysis, recently published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, used weekly U.S. Forest Service reports from between March 23, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023, to create an in-depth assessment of wildland firefighter injuries. The researchers broke down the injuries by the activity being performed, the hazard encountered, and the severity of the injury.
The report found that there was no statistically significant difference in injury severity among wildland firefighter activities, outside of aviation. While aviation activities had the majority of fatal injuries, they had very few injuries overall.
“Across activity categories, average injury severity was relatively similar for fireline, ground transportation, camp/staging/project work, and illness categories,” the analysis said. “Our results do not indicate that incident complexity or incident kind affect severity, though previous research has found incident complexity may influence injury frequency.”
The report also found that there wasn’t a statistical difference in the number of injuries between fire types. Fewer injuries during prescribed fires appeared in the data set, which researchers said reflects the fact that Forest Service personnel spend substantially less time on Rx burns compared with the number of hours spent on wildland fire suppression.
No one region had greater proportions of wildland firefighter injuries either, despite higher levels of fire suppression occurring in the west and higher levels of prescribed burning in the east, the two had nearly the same rate of injuries.
“Protecting the safety of wildland firefighters cannot be solely reliant upon individual or realtime risk management, but must also include clearly defined organizational risk tolerances and appetites,” the report said. “We anticipate that future work may leverage this effort that identifies the hazards, their frequencies and consequences to provide additional insight into the tradeoffs between risks to firefighters and the goals associated with the suppression work with which they are assigned.”
On March 15, 2025, Sgt. Joe Harris, one of the last surviving members of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the “Triple Nickles,” passed away in Compton, California, at the age of 108. He was three months short of turning 109. His remarkable life and service are a testament to courage, resilience, and patriotism.
The Formation of the 555th
Born on June 19, 1916, in Westdale, Louisiana, Joe Harris enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1941 at 25. Enlisting into the segregated U.S. Army, Harris volunteered for paratrooper training, joining the newly formed 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion in 1943. This unit was the first all-Black airborne battalion in the U.S. Army, a significant milestone in the ongoing struggle for racial equality within the armed forces.
Nicknamed the “Triple Nickles,” their name derived from a play on their numerical designation and a nod to the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division. The 555th was composed entirely of African American soldiers, including officers. Though the Army looked to send the 555th overseas as combat replacements during the Battle of the Bulge, the unit would remain stateside, a decision influenced by the racial prejudices of the time. Despite their rigorous training and readiness for combat, the Triple Nickles did not deploy overseas to combat the enemy abroad; however, the unit would soon combat a different kind of enemy.
Operation Firefly
Between 1944 and 1945, Japan launched over 9,000 incendiary balloon bombs, known as “Fu-Go,” across the Pacific Ocean, aiming to ignite forest fires and cause panic throughout the United States. In response, the U.S. military initiated “Operation Firefly,” a classified mission to combat these threats.
The Triple Nickles were assigned to this operation and served as smokejumpers, becoming the first military smokejumpers in history. Stationed at Pendleton Army Air Field in Oregon and Chico, California, the battalion trained extensively in firefighting techniques, preparing to parachute into remote areas to extinguish fires and neutralize unexploded ordnance. The mission was kept classified to prevent public hysteria and limit information from reaching Japan regarding the effectiveness of these bombs. Although six people were killed near Bly, Ore., when they discovered a downed balloon in May 1945, the overall damage caused by the weapons was limited.
During the operation, the 555th completed 1200 parachute jumps and responded to 36 fires across Oregon, Washington, California, and Montana. Their efforts mitigated the threat of widespread fires and laid the groundwork for aerial firefighting techniques still in use today. Despite these efforts, Operation Firefly remained classified for years, and Sgt Harris and the men of the 555th received little recognition.
Sgt. Joe Harris: A Lifetime of Service
Throughout his service in the U.S. Army, Sgt Joe Harris completed 72 parachute jumps and was eventually injured on a jump when his chute did not fully deploy. After his honorable discharge in 1945, Harris continued serving our nation by joining the U.S. Border Patrol. He later settled in Compton, California, where he became a respected figure in his community, known for his wisdom and leadership.
Enduring Legacy and Recognition
Despite their significant contributions, the Triple Nickles’ story remained largely untold for decades. However, recently, efforts have been made to honor their legacy. In 2017, a historical marker was unveiled at the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum in Cave Junction, Oregon, commemorating the battalion’s service during Operation Firefly.
Moreover, the battalion’s integration into the 82nd Airborne Division post-war marked a significant step toward desegregation in the U.S. military, predating President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 by over six months.
During the LA fires this past January, Marine Corps veterans and former Wildland Firefighters Jarred Barron, Siavash Mahgerefteh, and Neil Gallagher visited Mr. Joe Harris at his home in Compton, California. During the visit organized by Gallagher, the group presented Mr. Harris with a U.S. Army Paratrooper Patch, and Mahgerefteh presented Harris with a Pulaski Axe, a tool both Harris and the group used during their respective fire service. The California Department of the American Legion featured the visit.
Sgt Joe Harris, one of the last of the Triple Nickles, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, passed away in March 2025 at the age of 108.
The funeral for Mr. Harris, held in Inglewood, California, on April 5th, lasted over three hours, with guests traveling across the country to pay their respects. Speakers included members of the Harris family, friends, community members, veterans, and the mayor of Compton. Firefighters from the Angles National Forest were in attendance, and Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division conducted military burial honors.
Sgt. Joe Harris’s life and service continue to inspire, reminding us of the courage and determination of those who fought battles both abroad and at home. His legacy lives on through his family, including his grandson Ashton Pittman, who underwent paratrooper training to honor his grandfather’s memory. Mr. Harris is survived by two daughters, one son, four grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 20 great-great-grandchildren.
As the greatest generation continues to fade away, we must ensure the sacrifices made by these men and women are not lost to time. Men like Mr. Harris paved the way for servicemembers and firefighters for generations to come.
Sgt Joe Harris, one of the last of the Triple Nickles, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, passed away in March 2025 at the age of 108.
Neil Gallagher is a former wildland firefighter with the Bureau of Land Management and a Marine Corps Veteran. He runs Preserving the Stories, a veteran’s oral history nonprofit that seeks to preserve the legacies of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. Additionally, Neil is a law student at the University of California, Berkeley.
Increasingly complex and large wildfires throughout the world have necessitated a growing collaboration between public, semi-public, and private entities that span across regions and interests. The issue has driven some in the United States, including President Donald Trump and sitting senators, to advocate for a single and overarching wildfire agency to handle the nation’s wildland fire threat.
The movement of multiple varying wildfire-prone regions into a single regime, although successful in some circumstances, may risk undermining the effectiveness of managing a wildfire incident, according to newly published research.
The study, recently published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, studied 15 wildfire disasters from 2017 and 2018 and the 139 jurisdictions involved in fighting them. The researchers wanted to see whether the “pluralism paradox,” or when the threat of conflict increases when multiple and varied interests are needed to collaborate to address complex problems, held up to scrutiny.
Their findings suggest that trying to create a permanent single wildfire management strategy across numerous jurisdictions opens the door to conflict among involved organizations.
“Given the different missions guiding land jurisdictions, it may be structurally impossible to craft a strategy that optimizes values for all interests,” the researchers said. “Thus, zero-sum logic will apply to some strategies for fire management.”
Researchers found that collaboration among resource use and operational strategy, in particular, has the highest risk of generating conflict because the entities involved are likely to view the decisions made as privileging certain jurisdiction interests over others.
Collaboration between organizations and agencies that disagree, however, doesn’t always lead to conflict. Communication and information management collaboration, for example, has the least risk of creating conflict because they’re least likely to be perceived as a win-lose scenario for agencies involved in fighting fires.
Wildland fire stakeholders can also begin addressing potential conflict by addressing values-based mission differences between federal and state/private fire managers and holding pre-fire season workshops, table-top exercises, and meetings.
“These insights provide some nuanced, empirical insight into the dynamics of organizational pluralism in collaborative settings,” the researchers said. “Providing greater understanding of where we can expect to find conflict can lead to not only more realistic expectations, but also more resilient collaborative designs targeted at specific contexts and potentially better managed outcomes for all involved.”
A plane crash that killed three people while conducting a fire surveillance operation in outback Queensland in 2023 was due to the pilot suffering from a severe lack of oxygen caused by a defect in the aircraft, a transport safety report has concluded.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report found that the aircraft’s steep descent and ultimate impact with the ground was almost certainly due to the pilot being hypoxic due to a known defect with the aircraft’s pressurisation system.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell released the report (on 19 June 2025) with the conclusion that the incident should have been prevented. “This was a tragic and entirely unnecessary accident that underscores the dangers of operational practices which circumvent critical safety defences, and the insidious and deadly potential of altitude hypoxia.”
The AGAIR‑operated twin turboprop Gulfstream 695A (a variant of the Aero Commander aircraft series) was mapping fire zones near Mount Isa on 4 November 2023, with a pilot and two camera operators on board, including 22-year-old William Jennings from the United States. The other two people on board the aircraft have not been publicly identified, although the ATSB report states that the pilot had a total of 4900 hours flying experience, including with high-performance Royal Australian Air Force military aircraft. The pilot had only joined AGAIR in August of 2023 and at that time had not previously flown a Gulfstream 695A but subsequently undertook training.
The report found: “Over a period of many months, the accident aircraft’s pressurisation system was not reliably maintaining the required cabin altitude. This led some company pilots to employ a variety of actions in the aircraft to manage the potential and deadly effects of hypoxia, including at times briefly descending to lower altitudes, and improperly using emergency oxygen systems,”.
The ATSB found that the aircraft had a long-term intermittent defect with the pressurisation system that would manifest as a reduced maximum attainable cabin differential pressure. The report noted that the defect was known by senior AGAIR management who attempted to have the defect rectified. However, the ATSB concluded, they did not formally record the defect, communicate it to the safety manager, undertake a formal risk assessment of the issue, or provide explicit procedures to pilots for managing it.
“The ATSB found the onset of hypoxia during the flight significantly degraded the pilot’s ability to safely operate the aircraft, and it is possible that at stages the pilot also experienced some loss of consciousness,” Mr Mitchell said.
Air traffic control recordings of the pilot’s speech during the accident flight demonstrated significant and progressive impairment, including slowed, stuttering and flat speech, operational mistakes and signs of confusion.
“Hypoxia can occur when an individual is exposed to high altitudes, typically above 10,000 ft, when not enough oxygen is supplied to the blood, tissues and cells for the body and brain to properly function,” Mr Mitchell said.
ATSB has issued a formal safety recommendation to AGAIR to initiate an independent review of its organisational structure and oversight of operational activities to implement ongoing effective operational control by management.
The US Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service on Tuesday announced the opening of access to a mental health provider network for the nation’s wildland firefighters.
The “Wildland Fire Therapy Service” was established under the Federal Wildland Firefighter Health and Wellbeing Program, which began under the Biden Administration in 2024 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The service is designed to address the unique mental health needs of those in emergency management positions, according to a press release from the DOI.
Any wildland firefighter with the Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can access the therapy service, regardless of whether they are in a permanent, temporary, seasonal, or year-round position. Eligible individuals can get up to 16 sessions per year at no cost.
Available therapy services include sessions to address acute stress reactions, anxiety, complex grief, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use concerns related to traumatic events or cumulative emotional strain from working in wildland fire, according to the therapy service’s website. The services are provided through Magellan Federal, a business management consultancy agency. The sessions reportedly include initial assessments and psychotherapy sessions through in-person or virtual appointments. In-person appointments will be prioritized as they are known to increase the effectiveness of treatment, the website said.
“Firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line to protect us, our resources and our communities. We are so grateful for their service, and we are happy to provide them with more support if they need it,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said in the press release. “As we approach peak fire season, access to mental health services for our firefighters and first responders will now be easier and more convenient so we can continue to have the best wildland firefighting force in the world.”
Three Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft are on track to be ready and available for contracts to the 2025-2026 Australian bushfire season and elsewhere.
McDermott Aviation announced this week that the large heavy-lifting planes had been successfully fitted with a new tank system and were now awaiting final Civil Aviation Safety Authority approval to operate.
McDermott Aviation Founder and President John McDermott said the Transall C-160 was known for its high-wing configuration, long-range endurance, short take-off and landing capability and heavy-lift performance, making it well-suited to operate in rugged terrain and remote locations both in Australia and overseas.
The three aircraft are ex-German Air Force and have been used in Germany, France, South Africa and Turkey as carriers for military heavy cargo, parachute ops and wildfire operations. While specifically redeveloped for wildfire use, they can still be used for other natural disasters response, including dropping supplies from the rear cargo ramp.
McDermott Aviation supports firefighting and other natural disaster responses in Australia and the Pacific and has a presence in the United States and Canada. It recently supplied helicopters for firefighting in Greece.
“These aircraft are built for tough jobs in tough places,” said McDermott. “They’re part of our broader strategy to grow our fleet, scale our international footprint, and bring new technology to the frontline of firefighting both at home and overseas including Europe and North America.”
McDermott Aviation Transall C-160. Photo The Comms. People
Since arriving in Australia two years ago, and whilst McDermott worked through the approval process with CASA, the aircraft has been fitted with a tank system developed in partnership with Queensland-based Helitak Firefighting Equipment.
“We’ve worked closely with Helitak to develop a tank system that is lightweight, rugged, and high-performing and will allow these aircraft to deliver precision, power, and safety where it matters most – in the field, during fire season.
“We are undertaking the final certifications for the tank and will be seeking certification that will allow us to complete the testing of this aircraft which, once approved, will dramatically change the way we fight fires, especially in remote or rural areas that are not able to cope with other large, fixed wing aircraft.”
The Transall C-160’s design allows it to safely land on regional airstrips, whereas larger fixed-wing aircraft need to return to larger bases to refill. “We will carry retardant in powder form, and as long as there is a water source, we will be able to refill and be back in the air in approximately 10 minutes,” said McDermott.
According to the company, the Helitak FT Series tank, designed specifically for the C-160 platform, has a tank capacity of 16,00 litres, but the average payload will be around 14,000 taking three minutes to refill.
“As soon as we receive CASA certification, these aircraft will be fully operational. Our goal is to have all three aircraft mission-ready before the 2025/26 fire season in Australia.”
McDermott Aviation, established in 1982 and headquartered on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has a fleet of more than 50 helicopters, which it claims includes the world’s largest collection of Bell 214 series aircraft.
President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to consolidate the nation’s wildland fire programs.
Trump’s executive order, focused on “empowering commonsense wildfire prevention and response,” also instructed the departments and all agencies represented by the National Interagency Fire Center to increase wildland firefighting capabilities at the state and local levels, including through the use of artificial intelligence, data sharing, and mapping capabilities.
“Wildfires threaten every region, yet many local government entities continue to disregard commonsense preventative measures,” Trump’s order said. “Firefighters across the country are forced to rely on outdated technology and face challenges in quickly responding to wildfires because of unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy.”
The “consolidation” mentioned in the order is reminiscent of a push started earlier this year by Republican Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana and Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California to create a single wildland firefighting agency, dubbed the “National Wildland Fire Service.” A Senate bill directed the two departments to reorganize wildfire response nationwide into the new agency.
Advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Firefights supports the consolidation, saying they’ve advocated for a National Wildland Fire Service since the group was founded in 2019.
“This is a historic day in the modernization of our National Wildland Fire Service,” the group told WildfireToday. “After we digest, interpret, and understand this EO, we will have more to say. We will continue to support public lands and public land management, public land agencies, and all public servants.”
The order also instructs Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to modify or rescind “Federal rules or policies that impede the use of appropriate, preventative prescribed fires.” Zeldin previously signaled the EPA was in the process of changing the agency’s decade-old Exceptional Events Rule to expand the legal ability to set prescribed burns.
The rule has long held prescribed burning in a gray area. The policy allows states to be exempt from meeting national air quality standards during “exceptional events,” or times of high pollution readings that states can’t control, like wildfires. However, a study published in February said prescribed fires may not always meet the exemption.
