Wildland firefighting bootcamps for women scrapped by Trump admin

Federal training programs focused on recruiting women to become wildland firefighters have been scrapped by the Trump administration as part of its efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government. Only around 10 percent of wildland firefighters are women.

Descriptions of the trainings on the U.S. Forest Service's website have been taken down, according to reporting by The 19th. While information about the bootcamps is still up on websites for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service, they now have this language at the top: “Any previously issued diversity, equity, inclusion, or gender-related guidance on this webpage should be considered rescinded.”

The U.S. Forest Service has also dropped its support for the Women in Wildland Fire Advisory Council, launched last year to help women in the field find policy solutions for things like parental leave and child care. That's according to Riva Duncan, vice president of the advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Fire.

“It’s just unfathomable why anybody would think diversity, inclusion, and equity are bad things,” she said. “It’s going to probably set things back and hurt the recruitment and retention of women into this profession.”

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Quote of the day

Do you want clean drinking water and wildfire-safe communities? Do you enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, skiing, mountain biking, or snowmobiling without encountering a 'No Trespassing' sign? Perhaps you prefer horseback riding, birdwatching, rafting, or mountain climbing on public lands? This is now all at stake.”

—Steve Ellis, chair of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, Bend Bulletin

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