On July 18, federal wildfire managers placed the nation under a designation known as Preparedness Level 5 — bureaucratic code for all hands on deck or… In layman’s terms, Preparedness Level 5 means that the country’s wildland firefighting resources are spread thin, more blazes are imminent, and supervisors of local crews are reluctant to allow them to travel far from home to help elsewhere. This is the fourth time in the past two decades that the country has reached such a state so early in the year. So far, more than 5 million acres have burned nationwide, tripling last year’s total, and there are still months to go in fire season. Nine days after the country entered Preparedness Level 5, the U.S. Forest Service …said that it had reached 101% of its hiring goal for 2024. However, firefighters on the ground say that the agency is understating how badly depleted their ranks are.