The southern Utah spring is starting out dry and crackly
again. The Dixie, Fishlake and Manti-La
Sal National Forests have been hard at work finding women who want to
experience wildland fire, to expand their firefighting workforce.
After an outreach effort to recruit women interested in this
program this fall and winter, 22 successful applicants will be taking the
arduous pack test, consisting of a three-mile hike carrying a 45-pound vest, in
the early part of May. The pack test is
usually conducted on a track and must be completed in 45 minutes or less.
A 40 hour Basic Fire School where the candidates will learn
about the fire triangle (fuel, heat and oxygen) fire tools, weather and
topography is next on the agenda, concluding with an actual live fire exercise. Two will be held, one near Cedar City and one
in Moab.
At the end of this training, these enthusiastic women will
be ready to support the regular fire forces as emergency employees. They will gain valuable experience and will
have a chance to compete for seasonal jobs next year.
During interviews many of the candidates expressed great
excitement at “the chance for my dream job” and “the opportunity to get paid to
be outdoors.” All the participants see
this program as a chance to “check it out.”
Program Manager Linda Chappell says, “I am so pleased with the results
of our outreach efforts. I really feel
we have some good candidates who were just looking for a chance to get their
foot in the door.”
The Women in Wildland Fire Program is intended to recruit
interested women, and give them training and job skills so that they can apply
for seasonal positions next season. This opportunity will introduce
participants to careers in wildland fire management, along with other
opportunities available in the Forest Service. A mentoring program
accompanies the program to empower these candidates.
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the
health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to
meet the needs of present and future generations.
Contacts:
- Heather McLean 435-260-2871
- Linda Chappell 435-896-1628
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Are you doing something to promote the Women in Wildland Fire? We would like to hear your stories.
Is there a special leader (male or female) that you think should be recognized for their accomplishments?
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