Tuesday, June 24, 2025

As the Trump administration looks to combine multiple fire agencies under one organization, firefighter numbers are dwindling. Northwest Public Broadcasting’s Lauren Paterson reports on how the Nez Perce Tribe is stepping up despite the challenges. Three young firefighters are standing under the hot sun in Lapwai, Idaho, doing an engine check on one of their fire trucks. All of them are tribal members, and firefighters for the Nez Perce Tribe. Riston Bullock is going into his thirteenth season. He says he does this job because he’s dedicated to protecting the land, and his community. “Now that I’ve been in fire for so long, it’s kind of more, being the first one to respond, put the fires out.” A big challenge here in Idaho, and across the nation, is that there aren’t enough people to help. “ We’re losing firefighters. The numbers are going down…” People can still volunteer, but…“We need people at the shop ready to go when those fires start..” Across from the shop in the air conditioned office, Jeff Handel, the fire management officer, is on the phone trying to schedule repairs for fire trucks. “OK what I need is, I got a couple rigs that need radios put in ‘em…” He’s also worried the younger generation doesn’t seem too interested in firefighting. “ It’s pretty tough in today’s world when you can get a job, work from home and, and, and do okay financially, why would you wanna go out and do the firefighting thing? Which is very hard work.” Back at the shop, the firefighters are organizing equipment like ropes and hatchets. There could be changes coming to how the Nez Perce Tribal fire crew works with other agencies in the region. The Trump Administration is trying to merge all federal firefighting into a single agency. That could mean shifting thousands of jobs around just as fire season is ramping up. Bullock says he’s not sure how that would work. “I feel like it’ll just kind of be a new name, but I still feel like we’ll still have our shops and everything here will be mixed out through each other.” Approximately one-point-two billion will be requested as part of the new Wildland Fire Service budget. For now, Bullock and the rest of the crew aren’t giving it too much thought. They’re busy getting ready for the next call. A billboard along U.S. Route 89 encourages those living in the Western Agency of the Navajo Nation to get screened for uranium. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) The U.S. Senate is still drafting its version of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Tucked away in that proposed budget is a measure to renew compensation for those who had been exposed to radiation from uranium mining and nuclear weapons’ testing. KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has more. If finalized, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) would now sunset in 2028. It also expands eligibility for claims from the Trinity Test site in New Mexico – where the first atomic bomb was detonated – and to more uranium miners. The Navajo Nation has been lobbying to reinstate RECA since it expired last June. “I’m in just so much pain all the time.” Maggie Billiman (Navajo) has COPD and was recently diagnosed with liver and kidney disease. While downwinders like herself are hopeful about RECA returning, they’re also concerned that lawmakers are considering huge cuts to health services. “This big, beautiful bill is just something else. You get help from the RECA compensation, right, and then take Medicaid and Medicare? It just doesn’t make any sense.” (Courtesy Chickasaw Nation) Janie Simms Hipp was recently named Chickasaw Nation Dynamic Woman of the Year by Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anotubby. Hipp has dedicated her nearly four-decade career to food sovereignty through agricultural law, including her work at the USDA and the Native American Agriculture Fund. The award honors Chickasaw women who have made significant contributions to the Oklahoma tribe.   Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.