Wildfire crews fight for health coverage in online campaign

If they could get private insurance at all, it would surely be very expensive, because of the dangerous nature of their work.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48018300/ns/weather/#.T-5J8ZGWjfI

By Miguel Llanos June 29, 2012

A social media campaign started by a few seasonal firefighters is spreading, well, like wildfire.

The issue? Getting frontline firefighters who battle the nation's wildfires -- temporary federal employees because of the seasonal nature of their work -- into the government health care system.

More than 118,000 people have endorsed the idea on change.org through Friday afternoon. The group also has its own Facebook page.

A union official working on behalf of the 8,000 temporary federal firefighters told msnbc.com he had never seen such traction on an issue that's been around for decades.

"These are employees that time, and civil service reforms, forgot," said Mark Davis, head of the Forest Service Council.

John Lauer and a few colleagues on a federal hotshot fire crew based out of Custer, S.D., started the petition while fighting the massive High Park Fire in Colorado earlier this month.