Only 12% of National Forest firefighters are women. However, thanks to one national program, the Yurok Fire Department is hoping to change that.
Through the national park service’s "Women in Fire" program and the Redwood National Park, the Yurok Fire Department was provided $100,000 to train four Yurok women to become firefighters. The Women in Fire program was first introduced in 2012 to encourage more women to pursue leadership positions in the male-dominated firefighting profession. "It is the goal of this program to recruit, train and offer exposure to multiple aspects of wildland fire in addition to exposure to the planning and implementation of prescribed fire projects,” said Redwood National Park Fire Management Officer Rick Young.