The agency’s base budget for wildfires has grown by nearly two‑thirds over the past five years alone, from $1.3 billion in 2017‑18 to $2.1 billion in 2021‑22. Now it has 27 peer-support employees, who assist a permanent and seasonal workforce of more than 9,000.Ĭal Fire’s growing budget reflects the priority California places on fighting wildfires as they intensify and spread. It began with one staffer - and six years later there were two. Although created in 1999, it had no permanent budget and no permanent employees for 20 years. Cal Fire’s behavioral health unit ramped up slowly despite the growing problem.Experts say the agency can’t develop an effective program to combat them if they don’t understand and monitor their scope. But Cal Fire collects no incidence data on suicides or PTSD. Firefighters say suicidal thoughts and PTSD are rampant.Last year 10% of Cal Fire’s permanent, non-seasonal workforce quit. Work conditions and stress are driving an exodus from the department, which loses invaluable institutional knowledge and field experience.As a result, firefighters say they can’t find help when they desperately need it. And many won’t accept workers’ compensation cases because of the extensive paperwork and low compensation. ![]() In California’s rural areas, where many Cal Fire employees are based, there are inadequate numbers of qualified mental health care providers.Some say to get help or be reimbursed for mental health care, they have to hire lawyers, who told CalMatters that claims are routinely denied. The workers’ comp system is difficult to navigate for firefighters suffering from post-traumatic stress, even suicidal thoughts, beginning with skepticism among managers about the legitimacy of their unseen wounds.The nonstop work and increasing overtime are contributing to on-the-job injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. Staffing is insufficient as firefighters battle thousands of fires year-round, sometimes for 40 days in a row, year after year. Cal Fire has an unyielding policy of 21-day shifts and forced overtime.Interviews with Cal Fire firefighters, including many high-ranking battalion chiefs and captains, and mental health experts paint a picture of the state agency’s sluggish response to an urgent and growing crisis: ![]() Some opened up about their suicidal thoughts, while others - an unknown number since Cal Fire doesn’t track it - already have taken their own lives. Veterans say they are contemplating leaving the service, which would deplete the agency of their decades of experience. Many firefighters told CalMatters they are fatigued and overwhelmed, describing an epidemic of post-traumatic stress in their fire stations. While climate change is driving enduring drought and ferocious fires ravaging California, nature can’t be blamed for all of Cal Fire’s problems: The state’s fire service, which prides itself in quickly putting out wildfires, has failed to extinguish a smoldering mental health problem among its ranks. Workers’ comp cases for PTSD are routinely denied, and many crews are fatigued from working weeks at a time with no time off.Ĭalifornia’s firefighting agency has been slow to react to a mounting mental health crisis within its ranks as firefighters around the state say Cal Fire has failed to get them what they need - including a sustainable workload, easier access to workers’ comp benefits and more counselors. ![]() “We are at critical mass, guaranteed,” one Cal Fire captain said. – $250 – $6,000 Paramedic Bonus (paid every November amount based on months worked) In addition to the above pay items, employees are eligible for medical benefits (health, dental, vision) and may be eligible for other pay differentials.About 10% of Cal Fire’s workforce quit the agency last year. – $2021 – $2436 Extended Duty Week Compensation (paid every 4 weeks) – $4300 – $5182 Base Salary (paid every month) These positions are eligible for the following pay: – Amador-El Dorado Unit – San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit – Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit – Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit – Santa Clara UnitĪll current positions and directions on how to apply for each position can be viewed using the link below ( APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH FIRECAREERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED): – Riverside Unit – San Diego Unit – San Bernardino Unit – San Benito-Monterey Unit – San Luis Obispo Unit The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is accepting applications for Fire Apparatus Engineer (Paramedic) job vacancies in the following locations: Is accepting apps for FIRE APPARATUS ENGINEER PARAMEDIC Until NovemSalary: $4300 – $5182 Base Salary monthly
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