New crew seeks to improve gender imbalance among wildland firefighters

Boise State Public Radio News | By Murphy Woodhouse

Published December 28, 2023 at 1:12 PM MST

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Elizabeth "Liz" Skelly is in her eighth season of wildfire, and this year is an assistant captain on a Forest Service women's crew based in the southeast.

The federal wildfire service has a gender-equity problem: in fiscal year 2021, 84% of firefighters were men. Federal land agencies have publicly committed to working on a number of diversity issues, and a relatively new crew for women in the southeast is part of an effort to attract and keep more women in the profession.

The federal wildfire service has a gender-equity problem: in fiscal year 2021, 84% of firefighters were men. Federal land agencies have publicly committed to working on a number of diversity issues, and a relatively new crew for women in the southeast is part of an effort to attract and keep more women in the profession.