Wildland Firefighting Camp to Encourage Females Paused by Trump's Order

Feb. 17—A camp that prepared women to become wildland firefighters has been paused because of President Donald Trump's executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government.

The annual spring bootcamp had been around for more than a decade and took place in several national forests, including the Cibola and the Santa Fe in New Mexico. It was meant to give attendees hands-on training for seasonal wildland firefighting and encourage women to apply for jobs in the male-dominated field.

The move is part of Trump's sweeping plan to eliminate all DEI programs from the federal government. From art grants for underserved communities, as the Journal reported last week, pulling support for Hispanic-, tribal- and Black-led educational institutions, Trump has issued dozens of orders cutting support from government initiatives to promote more diversity.

"The injection of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy," one of Trump's executive actions read.

A U.S. Forest Service spokesperson confirmed the program is paused because of the executive order, which was signed on Trump's first day in office.

"Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex," reads the order.

The Forest Service has long struggled to attract women firefighters. Their fire workforce was about 87% male and 13% female, according to a now-archived 2024 Forest Service webpage. Having a woman-specific camp was meant to create a safe space for participants, according to previous Journal coverage.

The program application was previously open through March 31 or until the cohort was full, according to a cached snippet of the webpage. The U.S. Forest Service webpages associated with the program now return a "page not found" error.

The training was not a requirement for being hired as a wildland firefighter, and once hired, all new hires receive the same training, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Wade Muehlhof said by email. There are still opportunities for men and women to complete required training in the Southwest, according to Muehlhof. The Arizona Wildfire and Incident Management Academy and community colleges offer firefighting classes.

The U.S. Forest Service employs more than 11,000 people in its wildland fire program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, and historically has had a hard time hiring and retaining firefighters — male or female — in some parts of the country. After compensation for wildland firefighters was improved, staffing also improved, according to the Forest Service website. In 2024, the Forest Service exceeded its goal for hiring seasonal wildland fire employees, increasing the number of workers from 10,965 during peak staffing in 2022 to 11,393 during peak staffing in 2024.

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