Building to a Diverse Firefighting Force

This episode is part of our new Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.

Brandon Smith is a wildland firefighter and the co-founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program. Brandon graduated with a Bachelor's from UC Berkeley in Interdisciplinary Studies and Black Studies. After graduation, he worked in education and eventually found his way to wildland firefighting. We previously talked with a hotshot firefighter named James Sedlak to understand the day-to-day details of the job itself. In this episode, Yin and Brandon's discussion focuses on building the firefighting talent pipeline, bringing more awareness to this field of work, and getting more people into it.  

In this episode, we cover: 

• Brandon's background and experience at “fire camp” while incarcerated
• Founding the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP)
• The recruitment process
• The challenges FFRP faces
• Fire prevention vs. suppression and indigenous burning practices
• Recertification after incarceration
• History of incarcerated people in firefighting
• The skilled labor shortage
• How folks can support FFRP
• Cross-functional partnerships and breaking down silos

Get connected: 
Brandon Smith
Yin Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on Feb 3, 2023

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant