Why Fire?

I was stuck in the center of chaos. Hundreds of people surrounded me and my family as we looked to find our friends that had just been evacuated from their homes, left only with what they could pack into their cars. My sister, brother and I sat next to one another as my mom helped to pass out meals and water bottles in the Catche La Poudre Middle School, and my dad? He stood at the front lines of the High Park Fire of 2012. From then on I knew I had to be involved in any way I could.

I was only seven, but this memory lives vividly in my mind, igniting my passion for fire that still burns strong to this day.

Being involved at such a young age has had a heavy influence on my curiosity and drive surrounding fire. The way that it involves itself in communities and ecosystems, how it somehow tears people's homes apart but builds up communities, or even how one person from those communities can have such an impact on my life have all gone to answer my life's burning question, why continue to choose a life still surrounded by fire?

Passion can start to answer this question. The way I see it, passion can go two ways. On one hand, it burns deep inside a person and can be their fuel to get up in the day from the stance of love or genuine interest. My passion for fire has grown consistently over the past 11 years through many means. Being able to watch my dad's career bloom is easily one of the things I'm most proud of. On top of this, as my education has furthered and I have gotten the opportunities to experience fire myself, in both structure and wildland, I have gotten to learn from my dad first hand and develop an understanding for his career and just how much work he has put into his life to be where he is now as a member of one of the 36 Type 2 Incident Management teams as the Assistant Forest Fire Management Officer.

On the other hand of passion, it can be out of anger and deep care for the people and things impacted by the subject of the matter. This is what I would say started my passion.

Seeing people in a state of helplessness after their homes burnt to the ground, animals and livestock were lost, and faith was destroyed in a matter of hours, enraged me.

With some of the knowledge I've acquired since and opportunities I have been so blessed to find, I've been able to help several local fire departments implement plans for cultural burns and dig project line in various other regions in order to protect areas of interest and several homes in higher risk areas. This is all in hopes to mitigate the affects of high severity fire while still allowing it in a “controlled” environment so the ecosystem can still reap some of the benefits.

Working on a volunteer department for the past four years has also played a significant role in my interest for fire. Through the past five years I've been able to witness first hand what it truly means to be a community. Coming from a small farming town everyone knows each other, which is why it always hits so close to home when someone faces the hardship of losing anything they've built from houses to whole fields of crops. Being on my department I've built relationships I wouldn't have even been able to imagine. I can confidently say the people in this industry are some of the nicest and most understanding I will ever meet. It has encouraged me to be a better person in so many ways. They've pushed my past my physical limits to grow as a firefighter in trainings time and time again. Mentally, they've motivated me to keep going through every battle. After many of them were first on scene for my sister's suicide attempt, they were some of the only people who knew what was going on and helped my family in any way they could. Additionally, they aided significantly in my EMT certification process and were vital in my decision to pursue a degree to further my knowledge in both fire and wildlife.

When I made the decision to go to college I knew it had to be for something I truly cared about. Now that I am here, it is safe to say, that was one of the best decisions of my life. Learning about the behavior and effects of fire, specifically on wildlife, lit something inside of me I didn't know even existed. The first thing that comes to most minds when they hear fire is destruction. While it is a force to be reconned with, it can also be a beautiful source of regeneration. Browsing species like deer and elk are sourced with fresh food sources, rich in nutrients. Plants are provided with new room for growth and greater diversity, all while eliminating invasive species. Putting all of this into the real world and getting hands on training is where I learn best, which is why I'm ecstatic to have a position on a wildland engine crew this coming summer.

My life has been centered around fire for as long I can remember, and I couldn't be more proud of that. Between my dad, my volunteer department and my interest to keep learning, fire has consumed me.

I love every aspect of it and only hope to never stop learning as my experience grows. Knowing just what I know now the question isn't why choose fire, it's how could I possibly choose anything else?