Hi there! Today, travel medicine specialist Dr. Paul Pottinger interview wild land firefighter Matthew Pottinger about wildfire safety, covering topics including:

• What's the difference between "wildfire" and "wild land fire"?
• How did you get a job fighting wildfires as a college student?
• How does wildfire fighting actually work?
• What tools do you use in wildfire fighting?
• When do we decide to fight fires, and when do we allow them to burn?
• What were some of the most surprising things you experienced as a firefighter?
• How about safety--from flames and smoke... how do you handle that?
• How can travelers assess the wildfire risk at their vacation destination?
• Can we trust official government-sponsored safety briefings?
• Do you recommend the Watch Duty app?
• What's next with your career?

Here's a link to Matthew's 2026 Quatrano Prize in Biology--check it out!

And here is the Watch Duty app, we are not sponsored by them but we really like it.

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Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.