It can be incredibly difficult to step out of your comfort zone, into the unknown. The hardest part about any change can be starting over. That’s something this blog series will explore as I step into a new crew, on a new forest, in a new region. 

Friendship. It what makes this job SO DAMN AWESOME. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting amazing folks during my time working for the Forest Service & especially with fire crews.

The purpose of this series is to show the humanity & bonds behind the hard exterior of fire. I want you to see real people doing really hard work & having fun doing it with people they grow to care about. You’ll see the light moments & the heavier ones. Personally, I think it’s beneficial to portray our humanity so you see another side of us. Not just what you see on the TV such as a line of firefighters hiking off some road into the burning woods hauling loads of gear. 

At the beginning of the season, we train hard to be ready for the challenges the summer brings. One such exercise is running medical scenarios, getting comfortable with high-stress situations & taking care of each other if something were to go wrong. In this particular situation, I was put in charge of getting two crewmates out of the woods & to a medevac site for extraction. I’ve been keeping a journal over the course of the summer so I don’t forget things, big or small. 

Here’s the entry for that day:

And the job brings us closer together… literally. In this case, all gathered around stretchers, sweating our way down the hill (extraction of just one human can be incredibly taxing work). And that’s just one example. We perform many stressful tasks & the level of bonding that occurs is intense. 

In the spring, when things are a little wetter, we use prescribed fire to take care of the forest. Places that would benefit from fire but need some assistance to burn in a way that won’t cause harm to lives or property. These times provide a great opportunity to hone your skills and get in a groove with your new crew in a semi-controlled environment. Communication is put to the test under the elements of fire, excessive noise & limited visibility. Nothing offers more crew cohesion than when trying to pass a command down the line while a helicopter roars overhead. 

During the course of the summer, I intend to bring you much more fire photography to show what we do. In my college photojournalism classes, I was told to always first build trust with your subject. Same thing especially applies to your fire comrades. These are your friends. Start slow and gain their confidence that you will portray them in a good light & not get anyone in trouble. Gaining access to photographing events on the line is earned, not given. I personally believe you must be a good firefighter first and photographer second. 

I prefer, at the moment, to shoot many of my photos on my phone while on the fireline then during our downtime, bring out the big camera. It’s much safer that way & no-one is put in an uncomfortable situation. There are so many situations the phone just can’t cut it & I crave the professional look & capabilities. But as I get more comfortable, learning the ins and outs of when & where to pull out the camera, I will.

For now, I will tell my stories in the little moments. The human moments. Because that’s what this is all about. Real people working with fire on the lines. That’s what I’m here for.

I so wish you could experience all the nuances of doing this job. The lows and the highs. It’s one of my favorite jobs in the world. Sometimes I pinch myself that I have the privilege to do it. Sure, it can be insanely hard at times. But the people are worth it. They work hard & play harder. Let me introduce you to the humans I have the opportunity to work alongside.

Hello reader, thanks for enjoying all the photos on this here blog post. Stay tuned for more throughout the season! Forged by Fire: Part II will be coming in August.

And for more information about this series, please check out the American Wildfire Experience.

Huge thanks to the folks at Mystery Ranch & Waterax Pumps for their support of the wildland fire community & the grants they sponsored this year through AWE.