Student Spends Summer Firefighting and Clerking

“The 2020 season was my sixth season fighting fire. I started in 2014 on a contract fire engine company owned by my friend’s dad. Contract fire engines and crews get called by the state, tribal, or federal government when there are not enough government resources to respond to a fire. It took some getting used to. On my first fire, of the 25 person ‘strike team’, I was the youngest, least experienced, and the only woman. You also generally work 16-hour shifts for two weeks straight then get two days off and go right back out.

This summer, the first contract engine company I worked for contacted me and asked if I would be willing to go out on fires. Last summer I desperately missed fighting fire – missed the excitement, camaraderie, spending all day outside – so I happily agreed. In mid-August, I was called to the P515 fire on the Warm Springs Reservation. Because of school starting, I was only able to be there for 8 days and not the typical 2 weeks. It felt great to dig in the dirt, laugh with coworkers, and watch how the land responded to fire – all the things I have always loved about fighting fire.