Deep Dive Question 2 Reflection

 In the past 10 years, how do you think wildland fire culture has affected team/crew safety and performance?

Top-ranked thought overall:

"Crews are losing strength due to people leaving for higher paying agencies. As we lose experience the safety and integrity of programs are weaker. Fire seasons are becoming drastically more intense than 15 years ago and programs are becoming drastically less experienced."

Strongest themes and top thought per theme:

1. Safety culture has improved.
   "The wildland fire culture has grown by allowing firefighters to vocalize safety issues. This has enhanced team/crew safety and performance. Allowing personnel to speak up about issues impacting the work environment is paramount to a successful wildland fire culture."
2. Culture and safety need to improve.
   "We are encouraged to voice safety concerns at the crew level, but oftentimes upper echelons of leadership ignore these concerns. Safety is on the mind of every firefighter, but so is keeping their job and the ability to have a long, happy career."
3. Workforce challenges hinder safety.
   "I think fire culture has been detrimental to team/crew safety. Years of low pay and increased workload have eroded our experienced leaders. It’s important to have experienced, skilled leaders to help mitigate risks, sense problems, and quickly find solutions from [their] past experiences."