For most of the year, Lynne Chastain-Carpenter, MaryGrace Bedwell and Tray Hall work in different parts of the Forest Service with responsibilities that typically have little connection to fire suppression.

But when called, they leave their day jobs behind to head to a wildfire where their specialized emergency response skills are needed. They are among the 10,000 Forest Service employees who are not full-time firefighters but maintain wildland fire qualifications.

Learn more about Forest Service employees’ experiences with red cards. (left) MaryGrace Bedwell is the issues manager for the Rocky Mountain Region and stationed in Wyoming. (center) Lynne Chastain-Carpenter is the national geologic hazards program manager for the Washington Office and stationed in Colorado. (right) Tray Hall is a zone recreation manager lead on the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. (Forest Service images and audio)

The Forest Service refers to this part of its workforce as non-fire red-carded employees, or the fire militia, a term that reflects a longstanding culture within the agency.

Wildfire response has been part of the Forest Service’s mission since the agency was established in 1905. Over generations, that responsibility created a workforce in which employees, regardless of their position, can contribute in positions ranging from crew bosses and helicopter managers to ordering and delivering food for frontline crews. These are critical emergency response jobs.

Today, a recreation specialist spends most of the year managing campgrounds but, at a moment’s notice, serve on a fire management team coordinating firefighter supply delivery. A wildlife biologist might temporarily trade fish surveys to deliver critical evacuation information to the public. A budget analyst might manage the expenses and contracting of a large fire rather than the expenditures of a normal fiscal year. Many even fill spots on engines, crews or as fire operations and aviation managers.

Their regular jobs are covered by others on their team while they are dispatched to an incident.  

The red card makes that quick transition possible.

A red card is an interagency certification that verifies the holder has the training and experience for a particular wildland fire or incident management position. Qualified employees can fill one or more of roughly 100 operational, logistical and support positions on incidents anywhere in the country.

Wildland fire jobs vary considerably. Some directly fight the fire. Others involve strategic planning, managing incident finances, installing communication systems, supply ordering or dispatching firefighters. Managing a large emergency incident requires the creation of a temporary organization that involves hundreds of people, multiple agencies, aircraft, heavy equipment, food, transportation, financial systems, public information and coordination with state, local and tribal governments.

All those moving parts need qualified people with years of experience.

The Forest Service, with the largest wildland firefighting force in the world, typically has about 11,300 full-time and seasonal firefighters. But the agency’s ability to respond to wildfire extends well beyond those primary firefighters. Outside of the full-time firefighters, more than half of Forest Service employees maintain wildland fire qualifications, even though fire is not their primary job.

Their experience and abilities on and off wildfires give the Forest Service something that is difficult to build through a traditional workforce model. Their familiarity with the agency combined with specialized fire training and specialized knowledge from their regular job allows them to shift quickly into emergency roles when needed, giving the organization a resource it cannot easily create any other way.

The system reflects something fundamental about the Forest Service and its distinct culture.

Forest Service employees see their work as part of a broader mission, not just the duties listed on their position descriptions. During an emergency, everyone shows up for the communities that depend on the agency.

That expectation has become part of what it means to work for the Forest Service. For employees with red cards, fire response is just a part of their career. A job they carry alongside their primary role.

The cycle of spending summer days on the fireline and in fire camps is part of a culture that has developed over generations in the Forest Service. They return to their regular jobs when an assignment ends. They go back to recreation programs, wildlife projects, communication plans and other work that occupies most of their year.

But they keep their fire skills and qualifications ready, so that when the next emergency comes, they can drop everything in service to communities in need.