Fighting wildfires in a time of climate change : culture, risk and the production of resilience on a wildfire crew

In the past decade, wildfires in British Columbia have become more frequent and intense, causing financial, ecological, and public health strain. The burden of increasingly destructive fire seasons is also felt by wildfire fighters exposed to workplace hazards in the course of fighting these fires. In this thesis, I conduct an ethnography to understand how a wildfire fighting crew perceives climate change and responds to the increased risk to their safety from more intense fire seasons. Past research on wildfire fighting cultures includes Desmond’s (2007) ethnography of an Arizona crew and Scott’s (2023) interviews with a Saskatchewan crew. Desmond’s (2007) findings suggest that the United States Forest Service’s organizational culture emphasizes rugged individualism and individual responsibility, while Scott’s (2023) data found evidence of teamwork, trust and communication as core cultural values. Neither study incorporates wildfire fighters’ perceptions of climate change, nor how it impacts risk perception or production of resilience. I draw on sociological theories of culture to explore how the small group culture, or idioculture, of a wildfire unit crew influences resilience to risk in the context of climate change making their work more difficult. My ethnographic research uses data from interviews (n=13) and participant observation (n=18 weeks) collected while working on the Grizzly Unit Crew during the 2025 fire season. I also integrate insights from my four seasons of previous experience working on the Grizzlies. I find that wildfire fighters perceive climate change as increasing their workload. Interviewees demonstrated a fine-tuned awareness of risks on the fire line, yet expressed a high tolerance to these risks. I argue that this tolerance is conditioned by the cultural tools and idiocultural items commonly used by the Grizzlies. These include cohesion with their crewmates, a cultural value placed on hard work ethics, and having a willingness to learn. These tools produce resilience among the crew by holding each other accountable, avoiding complacency, and devaluing ego when making decisions on the fire line. In a context of heightened risk produced by climate change, my research shows how the Grizzlies’ crew culture informs their ability to stay safe on the fire line.