20-Year Prospect
So, here's the good news. Fires are threatening human habitations and life as they never have before. Why is that good news? Because it means that you, brave air tanker pilot, will have a job for years to come.
In fact, it's entirely possible you'll get to watch the size of burned areas in the western United States double by the end of the 21st century, as the number and severity of fires increase thanks to too little snowpack, unprecedented hot temperatures, and swarms of wood-eating beetles that turn trees into firewood.
There are only a handful of air tanker pilots in the United States—seriously, we're talking, like, a hundred people maybe—so if the entirety of the western U.S. goes up in flames, chances are more pilots will be needed.
Of course, you have to be in possession of an air tanker to actually, you know, fight fires with one. There aren't many planes in service to begin with, and a number of air tankers in use today are old and up for retirement.
Frankly, we wish this job would burn itself out in the next twenty years...but we're afraid that's just wishful thinking. Oh well, at least it's good news for you.