A United front

But wherever the field goes, she says earning the buy-in of firefighters is indispensable. Firefighters like Justin DeMoss, who attended the conference and just finished up his second season on a federal Interagency Hotshot Crew.

Courtesy Justin DeMoss

Federal Hotshot firefighter Justin DeMoss

“You're pushing your mental and physical limits every single day,” he said of the work.

He also works with Hotshot Wellness, a group founded by the elite firefighters to improve health on the fireline. Wildfire has a longstanding reputation for hyper-masculinity, but DeMoss said the culture is going through a major shift.

“I think a lot of individuals are finally coming around to that concept that our vulnerability is not a weakness, our ability to reach out and get help is not a weakness,” he said. “It just makes individuals stronger with community and relationships.”

And at the conference, he sees the real possibility of a ‘united front’ between firefighters and researchers to address serious health concerns.

“It would be really tough to do it without them,” he said of investigators. “And simultaneously, it'd be hard for them to do it without us.”

“I feel like I'm leaving this conference extremely supported,” he added.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.