Cal Fire has an unyielding policy of 21-day shifts and forced overtime.

Interviews with Cal Fire firefighters, including many high-ranking battalion chiefs and captains, and mental health experts paint a picture of the state agency’s sluggish response to an urgent and growing crisis: Some opened up about their suicidal thoughts, while others - an unknown number since Cal Fire doesn’t track it - already have taken their own lives. Veterans say they are contemplating leaving the service, which would deplete the agency of their decades of experience. Many firefighters told CalMatters they are fatigued and overwhelmed, describing an epidemic of post-traumatic stress in their fire stations. While climate change is driving enduring drought and ferocious fires ravaging California, nature can’t be blamed for all of Cal Fire’s problems: The state’s fire service, which prides itself in quickly putting out wildfires, has failed to extinguish a smoldering mental health problem among its ranks. Workers’ comp cases for PTSD are routinely denied, and many crews are fatigued from working weeks at a time with no time off.Ĭalifornia’s firefighting agency has been slow to react to a mounting mental health crisis within its ranks as firefighters around the state say Cal Fire has failed to get them what they need - including a sustainable workload, easier access to workers’ comp benefits and more counselors.

“We are at critical mass, guaranteed,” one Cal Fire captain said. About 10% of Cal Fire’s workforce quit the agency last year.

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