Podcast Summary

The Daily — The Hidden Victims of America’s Wildfires

Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Rachel Abrams
Reporter/Guest: Hannah Dreier
Featured Story: Joel Eisminger

Overview:

This episode investigates a hidden crisis in America’s fight against wildfires: the private contracting industry that provides thousands of frontline firefighters each year. The focus is on the lack of worker protections, resulting in many firefighters becoming gravely ill or financially ruined after service. Through the story of Joel Eisminger, a young firefighter who developed aggressive cancer after years on the firelines, the episode illuminates regulatory loopholes, a culture of denial, and urgent calls for policy change.

Key Discussion Points & Storyline

1. The Rise of Private Firefighting Forces (00:31–05:12)

• Wildfire Season Intensifies: Wildfires are growing longer and more dangerous, leading states to increasingly hire private companies to supplement federal firefighting forces (00:31).
• Industry Overview: Private firefighting jobs are easier to obtain but come with fewer benefits, including lack of health insurance and reduced safety protections (05:13).

"These are easier jobs to get than working directly for the federal government… but there are a lot fewer protections and fewer benefits." — Hannah Dreier (05:27)

2. Joel Eisminger's Journey to the Firelines (03:16–10:44)

• Background: Joel is a physically strong but driftily young man in Oregon, inspired by the camaraderie in the film Only the Brave, which depicts wildland firefighting (03:17–04:42).
• Entry into Firefighting: Recruited by Pacific Oasis, a private contractor, he’s quickly sent out to the “Klamathon Fire,” experiencing intense danger and forming strong bonds with his crew (05:11–10:44).

"This ain't the greatest job in the world, I don't know what is." — Joel (04:42, quoting Only the Brave)

• Culture and Conditions: Work is intensely physical — often using chainsaws, digging lines, with heavy packs, and always exposed to smoke without masks (10:11, 10:44).

"Being on fire doesn’t feel like a job. It's like make believe stuff that we do out there. You know, it's just fairyland shit." — Joel (10:34)

3. Lack of Safety Measures & Fireline "Macho" Culture (11:06–13:48)

• No Protection from Smoke: Masks are neither provided nor allowed; smoke inhalation is normalized and almost glorified as a toughness test (11:06–12:07).

"Pacific Oasis workers told me mornings sounded like an emphysema clinic… everyone will be coughing and everyone will be sort of feeling sick." — Hannah Dreier (12:07)

• Denial of Risk: Firefighters aren’t informed about long-term health risks; mask use is culturally stigmatized (12:07–13:21).

4. Joel’s Promotion and Sudden Illness (13:21–19:32)

• Climbing the Ranks: Joel is promoted to begin training as a crew boss and imagines a lifelong career (13:21–14:00).

"Did you imagine spending your whole career in fire?" — Rachel Abrams (13:48)
"Oh, yeah… I already knew I was in." — Joel (13:48)

• Severe Health Crisis: While on the job, Joel develops persistent rashes and facial paralysis but continues to work through the pain, driven by a desire to prove himself. A medic eventually insists he seek treatment, but he’s dropped at home by his boss instead of a hospital (16:07–18:29).

"You could have asked me what color the sky was, and I probably didn't know—that's how just messed up I was." — Joel (18:29)

• Cancer Diagnosis: At age 24, Joel is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer most common in much older adults (19:20–19:32).

5. Financial Ruin and Regulatory Loopholes (20:03–25:36)

• Medical and Financial Fallout: Lacking health insurance and denied worker’s comp, Joel and his family must pay treatment costs out-of-pocket (22:04–23:03).
• Denial of Responsibility: The private contractor claims illness isn’t provably work-related; workers' compensation claim is denied due to difficulties in linking cancer to smoke exposure (22:31–23:35).

"He basically said, anything could have caused this. Our workers compensation policy is not going to pay for this." — Hannah Dreier, quoting Steve (22:35)

• Systemic Gaps: Federal firefighters now automatically get benefits for a list of fire-linked cancers, but privately contracted firefighters do not, leaving many unsupported (25:05–25:36).

6. A Culture of Disposability and Ongoing Risk (27:19–29:13)

• Joel’s Response: Despite knowing the probable cause of his illness, Joel desperately wants to return to the firelines, valuing camaraderie and purpose over personal safety (27:19–28:26).

"If I got a year left in my life, I'm gonna do the last year doing some shit I'd enjoy." — Joel (28:45)

• Broader Industry Issues: The episode reflects on the endless supply of young, at-risk workers and the disposable nature of their treatment by the system (29:13–30:03).

"When they get sick, the industry just sort of moves on. And there's always going to be another young person to come and replace them." — Hannah Dreier (29:28)

7. Impact of the Reporting and Epilogue (30:10–30:50)

• Policy Change: After publication of Hannah’s reporting, Congress conducted oversight hearings and the forest service ended its ban on masks, providing them to all its firefighters. However, no changes have been made regarding worker compensation for contracted (private) firefighters (30:10–30:50).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Worker Disposability:

  “I think that for Matt and eventually for Joel, they got really fixated on these specifics of where he got dropped off, what time it was. Because they felt like Joel was just sort of dumped. Like he had been a disposable worker all along.” — Hannah Dreier (21:28)

• On Regulatory Denial:

  “What whistleblowers have been telling me, that there's just sort of been this culture of denial around how dangerous smoke is, because what do you do once you acknowledge that? You have to really change how fires are fought.” — Hannah Dreier (23:43)

• On Systemic Inequity:

  “If you've had, you know, Joel's career and then you develop leukemia and you're working for the forest service, you now don't have to prove where your cancer came from... But for Joel, he would have to prove where his cancer came from, which is almost impossible.” — Hannah Dreier (25:17)

Important Timestamps

• 00:31 — Opening context; rise of private firefighting forces
• 03:16 — Introduction to Joel Eisminger’s story
• 10:44 — Daily realities and risks on the firelines
• 13:21 — Joel’s promotion & goal for a career
• 16:07 — Onset of Joel’s illness
• 18:29 — Hospitalization and diagnosis
• 22:04 — Out-of-pocket medical expenses
• 22:31 — Denial of workers' compensation
• 25:05 — Workers’ compensation system explained
• 27:19 — Joel weighs returning to firelines despite illness
• 30:10 — Impact of reporting; changes to mask policy

Conclusion

Through deeply human storytelling and investigative reporting, the episode exposes how private firefighting contractors are filling a critical need as wildfire dangers escalate — but at grave human cost. Firefighters like Joel Eisminger face severe health risks without proper safety protections or a safety net. The episode directly spurred policy change on mask provision for federal wildfire teams, yet highlights that without extending worker compensation to contractors, thousands of vulnerable frontline defenders remain unprotected even as demand for their labor grows.