Today's Article

"They're not your average city county firefighter." 

"Right, we are wildland firefighters, federal firefighters. We train in wildland. We're training how to hike up hills, to hose up the hill to put a 2wildfire out." 

This is a 3prescribed burn, a fire set to clear brush, grass and downed tree branches that could serve as 4fuel for wildfires. It's an important part of a job that this season fewer people are actually doing. Nationwide, about 25 percent of wildland firefighting jobs remain 5vacant. And in some more 6remote areas, vacancies hit up to 40 percent. 

In the Los Padres National Forest, about 300 firefighters tend 7tirelessly to the 1.75 million acres of protected land. The landscape is 8stunning, but Fire Chief Mark Gerwe says love for the outdoors is not enough to keep workers from going to other fire departments. 

"With some of the other agencies, we're never going to be able to compete. That's just a given."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't pay as much. I think we can be successful at getting ourselves and getting our folks to a level to where they can have a good life and be able to raise a family and buy a home. That's what we need to be able to do."

And it's not only the pay. Climate change has helped create a 9perpetual fire season with 10virtually no breaks from physical, 11grueling work. 

"Out of fire season, then we 12turn into fuel season, so the work doesn't stop. So that's where we found challenges is maintaining good 13morale."