Safety and Training

September 15, 2026 / 4 minutes

Being a good leader starts with being a good person

By Michael DeGrosky Being a good leader starts with being a good person – in his Wildfire magazine column Mike DeGrosky rediscovers the early influences that shaped his core beliefs. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by renowned political scientist and author Robert Putnam,

August 26, 2026 / 1 minute

Wildland firefighters warned not to take supplements for smoke or PFAS exposure

A drug marketed to wildland firefighters exposed to smoke or PFAS shows no evidence of being effective, leading the International Association of Firefighters and the Food and Drug Administration to warn against its use. The drug, called glutathione, is marketed to fire fighters to remove toxins, but the IAFF says

Participants in WRTEX Mexico, the first delivery of the program in Latin America. Photo: Sylvie Fojtik

July 8, 2026 / 10 minutes

One foot in the black – an off-season journey

By Silvie Fojtik The following is a photo essay chronicling my travels to Latin America from November 2024 through February 2025. I work a seasonal job in wildfire; generally, this is in the months of February through October in the Northern Hemisphere. In the off season, while some lock into

Capital Shield Foresight training scenario.

June 16, 2026 / 3 minutes

Bringing wildfire scenario planning to life

As fire and other emergencies become more complex, chaotic and concurrent, incident managers may find that traditional pre-season tabletop exercises struggle to cope with these new demands. An emerging Australian company has seized the power of AI to develop a scenario package that moves faster, adapts to sudden changes, reacts