Latest news with #Intermountain
The Guardian
24-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
US faces alarming firefighter shortage during peak wildfire season, data reveals
More than a quarter of firefighting positions at the United States Forest Service (USFS) remain vacant, according to internal data reviewed by the Guardian, creating staffing shortages as extreme conditions fuel dozens of blazes across the US. The data paints a dangerously different picture than the one offered by Tom Schultz, the chief of the USFS, who has repeatedly assured lawmakers and the public that the agency is fully prepared for the onslaught in fire activity expected through this year. It's already been busy. So far this year there have been more than 41,000 wildfires – nearly 31% higher than the 10-year average. 'In terms of firefighting capacity we are there,' Schultz said during a Senate committee hearing on 10 July, claiming the USFS had hit 99% of hiring goals. He repeated the claim multiple times. But staffing reports produced on 17 July show more than 5,100 positions were unfilled, more than 26%. The problem was especially grim in the Pacific north-west, a region facing extremely high fire risk this year, with a vacancy rate of 39%. The Intermountain region, the largest region with close to 34 million acres of forest lands that stretch across parts of Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and California, has nearly 37%. The numbers also fail to capture the strain being felt in specific areas within these regions where ranks are severely thin. There are reports of USFS crews staffed with less than half of the positions once considered necessary to be fully operational. Six federal firefighters, who asked for anonymity because they are barred from speaking publicly, described how the staffing shortages had complicated crews' ability to suppress large fires and contribute to increased injuries and risks for firefighters on the ground. 'There is definitely a lot of tension in the system this season,' said a fire captain, describing how these issues have long plagued the agency. 'It's sort of like that medieval torture device that stretched people – just one more crank.' Many of the positions left unfilled are in middle management and leadership, leaving critical gaps in experience and tactical planning. 'The agency saying it is 'fully staffed' is dangerous,' a squad leader familiar with the data said. 'Maxing out 19-year-olds with no qualifications isn't the best strategy.' Vacancies at higher levels create limitations on who can be deployed in the field. 'We can't send [a crew] without supervision because it is unsafe – if they don't have a qualified supervisor that engine is parked,' said Bobbie Scopa, a retired firefighter who dedicated 45 years to the service. The empty positions also add to fatigue for firefighters who are already working in extreme weather and spending weeks at a time on fire lines with little opportunity for rest and recovery. Without back-up, those at higher levels are less able to take badly needed time off. If they get sick or injured, there's no one to take over. 'Folks are having to fill in and fill holes,' Scopa said, 'and they are going out without all the positions they need for a team.' The agency did not respond to requests for comment about the issues or questions about Schultz's claims of full staffing. But one firefighter speculated the agency may be using hiring numbers that only show whether an offer was accepted, and not if that hiring created a vacancy in another area. 'If people that are already permanent take a different job it still counts as a hiring action,' he said. 'But if the place they leave doesn't get backfilled, it just means they moved someone, not that they added someone.' Another firefighter said the agency might be exploiting the difference between 'minimum' staffing requirements and what was traditionally considered 'fully staffed'. 'You can technically play a football game with 11 people on the team,' he said. 'It would be considered negligent, maybe even abusive to the players, but they signed up to play and it's technically allowed.' The Forest Service has struggled to recruit and retain qualified firefighters in recent years, as escalating job hazards paired with low pay pushed scores of people out of the service. The exodus has exacerbated the exhaustion felt by those who remained, creating a vicious cycle at a time when the climate crisis is fueling a new era of catastrophic fire. The USFS lost nearly half of its permanent employees between 2021 and 2024 alone, leaving the agency scrambling to fill positions with less experienced recruits. The loss in experience took a toll on the workforce, several firefighters said, and the agency was left struggling to keep pace. The issue has come into sharper focus as the Trump administration continues to slash budgets and cut support staff positions, creating a new layer of challenges and plummeting morale. Firefighters and forest experts expressed deep concerns that the drastic cuts and resignation incentives offered earlier this year, which culled thousands from the agency's ranks, have left crews dangerously unprepared. Roughly 4,800 USFS workers signed on to a program offering paid administrative leave through September if they opted to resign or retire, pushed by the Trump administration as a way to rapidly shrink the federal government. While firefighters were exempt from the programs , they left significant gaps in a workforce that supports wildfire mitigation and suppression. That figure also includes 1,400 people with so-called 'red cards' who trained to join operations on the fire line if needed. The Department of Agriculture, which oversees the forest service, has tried to address the loss of employees with fire qualifications by calling for those with red cards who took early resignation or retiring offers to voluntarily return for the season and take on fire assignments until their contracts end. But when Senators questioned Schultz about the problem, he said the agency did not yet have numbers on if staffers decided to return. 'We depend on those people to help run the large fires,' Scopa said. 'Teams are not fully functional right now because we have lost so many people.' Firefighters have already been experiencing the effects of a reduced workforce firsthand. There have been reports of crews being left without power for weeks due to cut maintenance workers, paychecks being late or halved because administrative roles were left empty, or firefighters having to mow lawns or do plumbing work in addition to their other duties. 'I am hearing from firefighters who aren't getting meals because they are having problems with the contracts for the caterers because we laid off people who worked in contracting,' Scopa said. 'There was no efficiency in this – they just slashed it with an ax.' And more cuts could be coming. Schultz told lawmakers that the Trump administration's plans to eliminate multiple programs in the agency along with 'significant funding reductions in programs that remain', with greater responsibility shifted to states, private landowners, and tribes to fund emergency preparedness, management, and response. The administration is also proposing to consolidate federal firefighters into a new agency, housed under the Department of Interior – an idea that many federal firefighters support – but there are concerns that the process is being rushed and prioritized over managing emergency response during an intense summer. 'You all have trotted out another new reorganization in the middle of a very dangerous fire season,' said Ron Wyden, the Oregon senator, to Schultz during the committee meeting, warning that the lack of emergency preparation this year could cost lives. 'These infernos are not your grandfather's fires – they are bigger and they are hotter,' he said. 'We need to address this critical preparedness gap.' In Oregon, where region-wide staffing gaps are among the most acute, the governor declared a state of emergency last week to preposition resources for the threats expected from wildfire. Several blazes have already torn through the state this year, including the Cram fire, which had sprawled across more than 95,000 acres by Monday, making it the largest in the nation. Firefighters were battling 83 large blazes nationwide on 21 July, roughly two-weeks after the country's fire managers moved the country's response to 'Preparation Level 4', the second-highest designation meant to show that resources are already heavily committed. Despite his assurances to Congress that the USFS was ready for the intense fire activity, Schultz shifted tone in an internal memo sent to agency leadership last week, shared with the Guardian. 'As expected, the 2025 fire year is proving to be extremely challenging,' he wrote. Forecasts issued from the Climate Prediction Center and Predictive Services indicate the season is far from slowing. Higher than normal temperatures are predicted for much of the US through September, along with drier than normal conditions, creating high risks for big burns. 'We have reached a critical point in our national response efforts and we must make every resource available,' Schultz added. 'At times like this we know the demand for resources outpaces their availability.' Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon contributed reporting
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
US faces alarming shortage of firefighters during peak wildfire season, data reveals
More than a quarter of firefighting positions at the United States Forest Service (USFS) remain vacant, according to internal data reviewed by the Guardian, creating staffing shortages as extreme conditions fuel dozens of blazes across the US. The data paints a dangerously different picture than the one offered by Tom Schultz, the chief of the USFS, who has repeatedly assured lawmakers and the public that the agency is fully prepared for the onslaught in fire activity expected through this year. It's already been busy. So far this year there have been more than 41,000 wildfires - an amount nearly 31% higher than the ten-year average. 'In terms of firefighting capacity we are there,' Schultz said during a Senate committee hearing on 10 July, claiming the USFS had hit 99% of hiring goals. He repeated the claim multiple times. But staffing reports produced on 17 July show more than 5,100 positions were unfilled, more than 26%. The problem was especially grim in the Pacific Northwest, a region facing extremely high fire risk this year, with a vacancy rate of 39%. The Intermountain region, the largest region with close to 34 million acres of forest lands that stretch across parts of Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and California, has nearly 37%. The numbers also fail to capture the strain being felt in specific areas within these regions where ranks are severely thin. There are reports of USFS crews staffed with less than half of the positions once considered necessary to be fully operational. Six federal firefighters, who asked for anonymity because they are barred from speaking publicly, described how the staffing shortages have complicated crews' ability to suppress large fires and contribute to increased injuries and risks for firefighters on the ground. 'There is definitely a lot of tension in the system this season,' said a fire captain, describing how these issues have long plagued the agency. 'It's sort of like that medieval torture devise that stretched people – just one more crank.' Many of the positions left unfilled are in middle management and leadership, leaving critical gaps in experience and tactical planning. 'The agency saying it is 'fully staffed' is dangerous,' a squad leader familiar with the data said. 'Maxing out 19-year-olds with no qualifications isn't the best strategy.' Vacancies at higher levels create limitations on who can be deployed in the field. 'We can't send [a crew] without supervision because it is unsafe – if they don't have a qualified supervisor that engine is parked' said Bobbie Scopa, a retired firefighter who dedicated 45 years to the service. The empty positions also add to fatigue for firefighters who are already working in extreme weather and spending weeks at a time on fire lines with little opportunity for rest and recovery. Without back-up, those at higher levels are less able to take badly-needed time off. If they get sick or injured, there's no one to take over. 'Folks are having to fill in and fill holes,' Scopa said, 'and they are going out without all the positions they need for a team.' The agency did not respond to requests for comment about the issues or questions about Schultz's claims of full staffing. But one firefighter speculated the agency may be using hiring numbers that only show whether an offer was accepted, and not if that hiring created a vacancy in another area. 'If people that are already permanent take a different job it still counts as a hiring action,' he said. 'But if the place they leave doesn't get backfilled, it just means they moved someone, not that they added someone.' Another firefighter said the agency might be exploiting the difference between 'minimum' staffing requirements and what was traditionally considered 'fully staffed'. 'You can technically play a football game with 11 people on the team,' he said. 'It would be considered negligent, maybe even abusive to the players, but they signed up to play and it's technically allowed.' The Forest Service has struggled to recruit and retain qualified firefighters in recent years, as escalating job hazards paired with low pay pushed scores of people out of the service. The exodus has exacerbated the exhaustion felt by those who remained, creating a viscous cycle at a time when the climate crisis is fueling a new era of catastrophic fire. The USFS lost nearly half of its permanent employees between 2021 and 2024 alone, leaving the agency scrambling to fill positions with less experienced recruits. The loss in experience took a toll on the workforce, several firefighters said, and the agency was left struggling to keep pace. The issue has come into sharper focus as the Trump administration continues to slash budgets and cut support staff positions, creating a new layer of challenges and plummeting morale. Firefighters and forest experts expressed deep concerns that the drastic cuts and resignation incentives offered earlier this year, which culled thousands from the agency's ranks, have left crews dangerously unprepared. Roughly 4,800 USFS workers signed on to a program offering paid administrative leave through September if they opted to resign or retire, pushed by the Trump administration as a way to rapidly shrink the federal government. While firefighters were exempt from the programs , they left significant gaps in a workforce that supports wildfire mitigation and suppression. That figure also includes 1,400 people with so-called 'red cards' who trained to join operations on the fire line if needed. The Department of Agriculture, which oversees the forest service, has tried to address the loss of employees with fire qualifications by calling for those with red cards who took early resignation or retiring offers to voluntarily return for the season and take on fire assignments until their contracts end. But when Senators questioned Schultz about the problem, he said the agency did not yet have numbers on if staffers decided to return. 'We depend on those people to help run the large fires,' Scopa said. 'Teams are not fully functional right now because we have lost so many people.' Firefighters have already been experiencing the effects of a reduced workforce firsthand. There have been reports of crews being left without power for weeks due to cut maintenance workers, paychecks being late or halved because administrative roles were left empty, or firefighters having to mow lawns or do plumbing work in addition to their other duties. 'I am hearing from firefighters who aren't getting meals because they are having problems with the contracts for the caterers because we laid off people who worked in contracting,' Scopa said. 'There was no efficiency in this – they just slashed it with an ax.' And more cuts could be coming. Schultz told lawmakers that the Trump administration's plans to eliminate multiple programs in the agency along with 'significant funding reductions in programs that remain', with greater responsibility shifted to states, private landowners, and tribes to fund emergency preparedness, management, and response. The administration is also proposing to consolidate federal firefighters into a new agency, housed under the Department of Interior – an idea that many federal firefighters support – but there are concerns that the process is being rushed and prioritized over managing emergency response during an intense summer. 'You all have trotted out another new reorganization in the middle of a very dangerous fire season,' said Ron Wyden, the Oregon senator, to Schultz during the committee meeting, warning that the lack of emergency preparation this year could cost lives. 'These infernos are not your grandfather's fires – they are bigger and they are hotter,' he said. 'We need to address this critical preparedness gap.' In Oregon, where region-wide staffing gaps are among the most acute, the governor declared a state of emergency last week to preposition resources for the threats expected from wildfire. Several blazes have already torn through the state this year, including the Cram fire, which had sprawled across more than 95,000 acres by Monday, making it the largest in the nation. Firefighters were battling 83 large blazes nationwide on 21 July, roughly two-weeks after the country's fire managers moved the country's response to 'Preparation Level 4,' the second-highest designation meant to show that resources are already heavily committed. Despite his assurances to Congress that the USFS was ready for the intense fire activity, Schultz shifted tone in an internal memo sent to agency leadership last week, shared with the Guardian. 'As expected, the 2025 fire year is proving to be extremely challenging,' he wrote. Forecasts issued from the Climate Prediction Center and Predictive Services indicate the season is far from slowing. Higher than normal temperatures are predicted for much of the US through September, along with drier than normal conditions, creating high risks for big burns. 'We have reached a critical point in our national response efforts and we must make every resource available,' Schultz added. 'At times like this we know the demand for resources outpaces their availability.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Who needs a statin? New Intermountain Study compares prescribing recommendations based on traditional risk factors vs. coronary artery calcium scoring
MURRAY, Utah (ABc4 Utah) – A new study by researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City aims to determine the best method to screen and evaluate patients who are at risk of developing coronary heart disease to identify those who would benefit from statin medication to lower their cholesterol. Currently, cardiologists determine a patient's need for a statin medication based on traditional risk factors, which includes using the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE) to determine their risk. The PCE method calculates coronary risk by assessing risk factors of age, sex, total and HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and whether someone has diabetes and is a smoker. However, a new approach to determining risk and selecting a statin is the use of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, which is determined by taking a low-radiation dose image of the heart using computed tomography – a CT scan – to look for calcium deposits in plaques in the heart's coronary arteries. Which approach is more effective? The new study aims to find out. 'Our study is now fully enrolled with over 5,600 patients, and in this abstract, we wanted to look at baseline characteristics and differences in statin prescribing recommendations,' said Jeffrey L. Anderson, MD, co-principal investigator of the study and distinguished clinical and research physician at Intermountain Health. 'The question we want to answer is whether we can do a better job in selecting people who need a statin for primary coronary risk reduction by using the coronary artery calcium score, rather than just putting coronary risk factors into an equation,' said Dr. Anderson. 'That is, is it more effective to use direct imaging to assess evidence of plaque burden or a risk probability equation? That's what we're aiming to find out.' The new study was presented on March 29 at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago. The research is part of CorCal Outcomes, a large, randomized clinical trial at Intermountain Health that is comparing the PCE versus CAC score guidance to initiate a statin prescription for patients for primary prevention of coronary heart disease. Since 2019, Intermountain heart researchers have enrolled 5,615 patients into the study, with patients having an average age of 64.1 years old, and 51.3% of the study subjects being women. 'This CorCal Outcomes study has been a systemwide, eight-year effort to complete enrollment,' said Dr. Anderson. Intermountain patients at risk of coronary disease were invited to enroll in the study, and those agreeing to participate were randomized into two groups: those assessed using the PCE or those evaluated using their coronary artery calcium score. Results of scoring by their assigned risk assessment tool were sent in letters to their personal physicians, including whether a statin was recommended based on a high-risk score. Patients in the two groups in the study were found to have very similar baseline characteristics. However, researchers found that the rate of statin medication recommendations were different. The study is expected to conclude in early 2026, at which time a comparison of outcomes, including deaths, heart attacks, strokes, and revascularizations during up to seven years, and an average of over four years, of follow-up will be made. For the enrollment phase, researcher found a recommendation to start a statin was made much more often based on the PCE. In the PCE group, 50.7% of patients were recommended a statin, with another 21.7% to be considered for one. By contrast, in the CAC group, only 22.3% of patients were recommended a statin. This large difference in statin recommendations appears to be explained by the strong influence of older age in recommending a statin by the PCE and, in contrast, the frequent finding of a zero or low CAC score in many older patients, leading to a no-statin recommendation in them. Knowing which score is most effective is important, said Dr. Anderson, so that physicians can get statin medication to the right people, and not prescribe statins to those who don't need it. This is especially important considering that statins entail costs and can have side effects, including muscle aches and an increased risk of diabetes. 'We know there's a huge difference in prescribing recommendations, and next year we are anxious to see the impact of these differences on outcomes,' said Dr. Anderson. 'These findings can have a huge impact on how we practice preventive medicine in the future and how many and whom we put on a statin or other lipid-lowering drugs.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Sponsored by Intermountain Health. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intermountain Health first in nation to expand stem cell collection for CAR-T Cell Therapy bringing innovative cancer procedure to Southern Utah
ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4 Utah) – Intermountain Health is now offering a national first-of-its kind expansion of CAR-T Cell Therapy, bringing cutting-edge cancer care closer to patients in Southern Utah and Nevada. Intermountain's new CAR-T Cell satellite clinic in St. George marks a significant milestone to improve access to FDA approved CAR T-cell therapies at a regional clinic – and is the first time in the United States that CAR T-Cell collections are now available at a remote site away from a primary treatment center. Before expanding the CAR T-Cell therapy program, patients in southwest Utah, Nevada and beyond, had to travel hundreds of miles to Intermountain LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City for collection, transplant, and follow-up care. This innovative expansion of stem cell collection and CAR T-cell collection procedures at the Intermountain Health St. George Cancer Center provides advanced cancer treatment options closer to home for patients in the region. 'Expanding CAR-T Cell Therapy to Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital is a testament to our commitment to providing accessible, state-of-the-art cancer treatment,' said Brad Hunter, MD, medical oncologist and director of the CAR T-cell program at Intermountain LDS Hospital. 'This clinic will significantly enhance the quality of care for patients in Southern Utah and beyond our state boarders, offering them hope and healing without the need to travel long distances.' CAR-T Cell Therapy is a form of immunotherapy that harnesses the power of a patient's own immune system to fight cancer by genetically reprogramming T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells. 'This therapy has shown remarkable success in treating certain types of leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and we're grateful for the chance to make it more accessible,' said Dr. Hunter. This process is customized to each individual oncology patient and involves collecting the patient's immune cells or T cells, which are then sent to a different location and re-engineered. About two to three weeks later the patient will travel to Intermountain LDS Hospital for the re-programmed cells to be transplanted back to the patient. The new cells then target and kill the cancer cells by binding to the specific proteins or antigens on the cancer cells. The patient is observed to confirm the treatment is working and then sent home, with follow up appoints close to home. Jacqueline, 68, from Las Vegas, Nevada, received CAR-T therapy for her Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma last year at Intermountain LDS Hospital and says it saved her life. 'It was really miraculous,' said Jacqueline. 'I could see the back of my throat and see the lymph nodes, so swelled up and then within two weeks of the treatment, suddenly, they were just gone. They even scanned me and everything was gone.' Jacqueline and her husband had to travel to Salt Lake numerous times and stay for a month, they say the new Intermountain Health St. George CAR-T Cell satellite clinic will save some miles and will be nice for future cancer patients to have treatment, 'just down the street.' CAR T-Cell therapy is currently FDA approved for patients who have a variety of hematologic cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B-cell lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. For more information about the Intermountain Health CAR-T Cell Therapy program and services, go to Intermountain Health. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Sposored by Intermountain Health. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sunshine and warmer temperatures through Friday afternoon
SALT LAKE CITY () — Happy Thursday, Utah! A weak trough may graze northern Utah Thursday afternoon with a spotty shower possible for the Uintas and Castle Country. Winds will become breezy ahead of this front out of the SW, so that could lead to an elevated fire threat across eastern Utah. Red Flag Warnings are in effect there for next few days. Try to avoid any outside burning. Another trough will graze the area this weekend, leveling off the warm-up and bringing isolated rain chances. Memorial Day continues to feature plenty of sunshine and another warm-up. Highs will be in the 80s along the Wasatch Front and mid to upper 90s for SW Utah. Stay tuned, we'll keep you 4Warned on-air and online! Discover a World of Color Happiness! at Disneyland's 70th celebration Intermountain offers in-office hand procedures for convenience and lower cost 'Special moment:' Utah trooper jumps in to help after baby born in car on highway Backed into your garage door? A+ Garage Doors fixes it fast Utah vs Scammers – The anti-scam crusade you need to know about Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
