Many wildfire leaders say they’ve seen extreme, unprecedented fire behavior this season that only adds to the risk of deploying crews aggressively. Image © iStock - Toa55Duncan serves as president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of wildfire professionals. said Bobbie Scopa, who had a 45-year career as a firefighter and now serves as vice president with Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. “The problem is not fire itself, it’s our relationship with it,” said Darnell, the retired Forest Service firefighter. Trump’s cuts to federal wildfire crews could have ‘scary’ consequencesIn Washington, state forester George Geissler said he had not heard of federal crews taking extra risks.