More than 40,000 wildfires have burned in the US so far this year – and the firefighters who battle them have been pushed to their limit. Llew, who did the job for 20 years, explains the impact it had on his life
This episode includes discussion of suicidal thoughts.
More than 43,000 wildfires have burned through more than 202,3428 hectares of land in the US so far this year. As well as one of the most alarming indications of the urgency of the climate crisis, the blazes have taken a huge toll on the men and women who are the frontline of defence against them. Firefighters work punishing hours for low pay, and frequently deal with depression, alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Daliah Singer investigated the toll on the firefighters for Guardian US. She talks about what she learned to Nosheen Iqbal. And we hear from Llew, a retired firefighter who loved his job but dealt with the devastating fallout in his personal life; he says he is still picking up the pieces today.
You can also read Daliah Singer’s feature ‘Burning out: the silent crisis spreading among wildland firefighters’ here.
oSamaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
The Guardian is editorially independent.
And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all.
But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.