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Missing federal paychecks and warring political parties spell dangerous conditions for firefighters and air traffic controllers--and Saving The West shares stories from the firelines and eyes in the skies. And while the government is temporarily reopened, it's not back to business as usual. So many of our federal institutions are still suffering and bracing for long term impacts, in face of a short term solution. Nothing will erase the traumas and long-term impacts of FBI agents getting food at a local food bank, TSA agents in danger of losing their houses, major airports grounding flights. Sounds like a scene from an apocalyptic Hollywood blockbuster. No, just a country in chaos, during the longest government shutdown in American history. In this episode we hone in on safety during the shutdown, from our air spaces to our fire prone federal lands. Our hosts Devan Schwartz, Alex Warren, and Megan Donis speak with Aaron Merrick of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Kansas City and Mike Degrosky of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Missoula, about the human cost of a government shutdown.