Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Seth C. Hawkins, MD, MA, MPH, Associate Professor, Wake Forest University
Wildland fires are frequently in the news. All of us were raised in an era where “Smokey Bear” is one of the most recognizable figures in our society, as is his message of preventing wildfires. However, we rarely look to the wildland firefighters that help prevent wildfires. This presentation shares original research done at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte on the health parameters of wildland fires and firefighters. The presentation follows that analysis into a deeper exploration of the phenomenon of “cultural burning” and what it means for the health of our wildland firefighters and our society as a whole.