Battling historic blazes, wildland firefighters face political brinkmanship over fair pay. But theres hope. [Video]

Over 26,000 wildland firefighters are locked in a fierce battle against record-setting blazes tearing through the West. Fueled by relentless heat and drought, active fires have already consumed 2.4 million acres—an area larger than Delaware.

Yet, the men and women risking their health and lives to save our forests and communities face a harsh reality: They’re earning less than fast food workers, face higher rates of suicide and mental illness than other emergency services, live in more expensive states and without swift action from Congress, their pay could be slashed in half — back to pre-2021 levels — in the coming weeks.

The countdown comes as Oregon, for example, experiences its worst wildfire season since the state began recording data in 1992, and firefighters in California struggle to contain one of its largest forest fires in history. Since Jan. 1, almost 30,000 wildfires have burned 5.4 million acres, many times higher than 2023and above the 10-year average, according …