U.S. immigration crackdown could drain fire crews
Latinos on lines: Contractors rely on immigrants
AUMSVILLE, Ore. - Rosario Franco and many in his family have fought wildfires across the West for years. His brother and cousin are both firefighters. His father is a contractor for fire crews.
Across the country, a growing number of Hispanics are taking on the hot, dangerous and dirty work because the demand is high in season and it usually pays better than farm work.
Many - nobody knows how many - are undocumented, a problem Franco claims does not concern him.
''I think our crews are legal,'' he said at his home in this Willamette Valley town. ''My job is to do my job and that's what I do.''
Nevertheless, it is clear Hispanics dominate many wildland fire crews.
Debby Miley, executive director of the National Wildfire Suppression Association, an umbrella organization for fire crew contractors, said 75 percent of the contract crews in the United States come from the Pacific Northwest.
And Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Rod Nichols said about 85 percent of the crews in Washington and Oregon are Hispanic. His office administers firefighting contracts with private companies for the two states.
It is not the same everywhere. The South Dakota-based International Association of Wildland Fires says the Hispanic percentage in Northwest crews is generally considered to be well above the national average; the Forest Service region covering California and Hawaii is under a federal consent decree to bring its Hispanic participation in fire crews up to about 31.5 percent, from about 10 percent now.
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AUMSVILLE, Ore. - Rosario Franco and many in his family have fought wildfires across the West for years. His brother and cousin are both firefighters. His father is a contractor for fire crews.
Across the country, a growing number of Hispanics are taking on the hot, dangerous and dirty work because the demand is high in season and it usually pays better than farm work.
Many - nobody knows how many - are undocumented, a problem Franco claims does not concern him.
''I think our crews are legal,'' he said at his home in this Willamette Valley town. ''My job is to do my job and that's what I do.''
Nevertheless, it is clear Hispanics dominate many wildland fire crews.
Debby Miley, executive director of the National Wildfire Suppression Association, an umbrella organization for fire crew contractors, said 75 percent of the contract crews in the United States come from the Pacific Northwest.
And Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Rod Nichols said about 85 percent of the crews in Washington and Oregon are Hispanic. His office administers firefighting contracts with private companies for the two states.
It is not the same everywhere. The South Dakota-based International Association of Wildland Fires says the Hispanic percentage in Northwest crews is generally considered to be well above the national average; the Forest Service region covering California and Hawaii is under a federal consent decree to bring its Hispanic participation in fire crews up to about 31.5 percent, from about 10 percent now.
Continue reading
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