The Fighting Fires Together campaign, a partnership between Weyerhaeuser and the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA), is designed to increase awareness around the importance of mental health support for wildland firefighters and their families. Now in its third year, the partnership provides specialized support and mental health resources for wildland firefighters.
Through a dedicated website, first responders can find specially designed content, including videos on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention. They also have access to mental health tips, educational articles, and contacts for occupationally aware support groups and counselors in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
As wildfire seasons grow longer in the Pacific Northwest, the need for resources that recognize the mental and physical challenges of this work has never been more critical. “It’s a big step just to have a conversation about firefighting and mental health,” says Kyle Kaplan, a trained wildland firefighter and silviculture forester at Weyerhaeuser’s tree farm in Oregon. “No one was really talking about it until just a couple years ago, and it’s refreshing to get it out in the open.”
The partnership serves as an extension of FBHA’s mission to collaborate, develop, and implement behavioral health awareness, prevention, and post-crisis strategies—and to provide wildland firefighters with an easily accessible and confidential source of information.
“We are honored to partner with Weyerhaeuser for a third year of Fighting Fires Together,” says Frank Clementi, founder of FBHA. “Providing these resources along with a community of support is critical to the health of our firefighting brothers and sisters.”
The campaign kicks off this month to commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month and Wildfire Awareness Month. Learn more at www.fightingfirestogether.org.
Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900 and today owns or controls approximately 10.5 million acres of timberlands in the U.S., as well as 14 million acres of timberlands managed under long-term licenses in Canada. Weyerhaeuser has been a global leader in sustainability for more than a century and manages 100 percent of its timberlands on a fully certified basis in compliance with internationally recognized sustainable forestry standards. Weyerhaeuser is also one of the largest manufacturers of wood products in North America and operates additional business lines around the world, including real estate, energy, and natural resources. In 2023, the company generated $12.1 billion in net sales and employed approximately 9,300 people who serve customers worldwide. Operated as a real estate investment trust, Weyerhaeuser’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WY. Learn more at www.weyerhaeuser.com.
Founded in 2010 by Frank Clementi, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) offers educational workshops to firefighters and EMTs across the globe, along with their families. These workshops address behavioral health issues, suicide warning signs, and how to cope after retirement. FBHA is also focused on training medical professionals, EAP organizations, and chaplains about fire and EMS culture in order to provide a better treatment plan for firefighters and EMTs. Learn more at www.fbha.org.
