logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
23m 57s

Fighting wildfires

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Parts of the world, such as Europe, have experienced record temperatures and, amid the heat, wildfires are burning. In the United States, there are several fires across large parts of the country. We bring together three specialist wildland firefighters to share what it’s like to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Whitney Lindsay, in Texas, became a firefighter four years ago as part of a special program involving military veterans. Jonathon Golden in Utah retired in 2019 after firefighting for 12 years. Chris Ashby in Oregon is both a firefighter and a crew boss. They discuss with host James Reynolds the impact of climate change, the rewards and the strains of the profession.

Up next
Today
Leaving Isis: Is redemption possible?
In 2014, Tareena Shakil, then 24, made a decision that would change her life forever. She secretly left the UK, telling her family she was on holiday, and travelled with her young son to Syria to join the Islamic State group. Within months she found herself in the heart of the ex ... Show More
26m 29s
Yesterday
Forty-eight hours in Isfahan
*** This episode contains scenes of violence and descriptions you may find upsetting *** Eyewitnesses from a city in Iran describe how armed forces loyal to the Islamic regime killed countless protesters in a lethal crackdown on demonstrations earlier this year. Seen through the ... Show More
29m 33s
Mar 4
Namibia’s hydrogen superpower dream
A near-pristine desert wilderness on southern Africa’s remote Atlantic coast in Namibia could host a huge green hydrogen development, raising hope for wealth and desperately needed jobs. Supporters say it could help tackle youth unemployment, which is among the highest in the wor ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
Women fighting wildfires
<p>Large scale wildfires have increasingly made headlines in recent years. Fires have devastated areas of California, Australia, Siberia and the Pantanal that used to be relatively unaffected. We speak to two women helping stop the spread of wildland fires, protecting precious ec ... Show More
27m 28s
Mar 2018
Firefighters
<p>Fighting fires and stereotypes at the same time - Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two senior fire women in India and the UK. </p><p>Dany Cotton joined the London Fire Brigade at 18, just a few years after it opened up to women. She has worked her way up to be the force's first ever ... Show More
26m 36s
Jun 2022
Fighting Fire with Fire
<p>Year after year, wildfires have swept through Northern California’s wine and dairy country, threatening the region’s famed agricultural businesses. . Evacuation orders have become a way of life in places like Sonoma County, and so too have exemptions to those orders. Officials ... Show More
50m 39s
Mar 2024
The Firefighter Serial Killer with Diane Cotter and David Whiteside
<p>Find out who is killing US firefighters in this episode with Diane Cotter and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</p> <p><br></p> <p>A cancer causing chemical sold primarily by two major US corporations is increasing cancer rates among firefighters. Since 2002 cancer has been responsible fo ... Show More
30m 1s
Oct 2022
Prescribed Burns Started a Wildfire, But Experts Say They're A Crucial Tool
After a prescribed burn became the largest wildfire in New Mexico history earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service put a ninety day ban on controlled burns.But while these kinds of burns do carry risk, very few escape, and they are a crucial tool in reducing the risk of catastr ... Show More
14m 38s
Feb 2020
How Do Firefighters Fight Bushfires? with Fiona Macken
CONTENT WARNING: This conversation contains details about scenes that emergency first responders encounter, including car accidents, suicide, house fires, and bushfires. Fiona Macken is a volunteer firefighter with the Country Fire Authority and 3rd Lieutenant of the Diamond Cre ... Show More
50m 26s
Jun 2022
This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
28m 49s
Aug 2016
Fire: How Climate Change is Altering our Attitudes to Wildfires
As fire risks change due to climate change, how should we deal with fire to protect human health and property without compromising the integrity of our environment? Bridget Kendall asks the geologist Andrew Scott, the fire ecologist Jennifer Balch and the biologist David Bowman.( ... Show More
40m 42s