They have their bags packed at all times, but the more than 200 men and women of the Coconino National Forest serving on Incident Management Teams or fire crews are not likely headed for the beach this summer.
In fact, they can’t be sure if they’ll make it home for dinner tonight. They soon could be sleeping in the dirt, a parking lot or a jungle; or evacuating schools, clearing trees or doing battle with a wildfire.
And they like it that way. “The best part of my job is the uncertainty of what the day will bring,” said Mormon Lake Engine Boss Chad Rice.
When disaster strikes and the call goes out for help, Jeff Walther may well be the one picking up the phone. “We support all types of disasters,” said the Flagstaff dispatch center manger. “Wildfires are the main focus of our support, but we also respond to hurricanes, and of course 911. We were there the next day at the World Trade Center working with NYPD and NYFD, flown in with special clearance when all travel was grounded. Our crews were in New Jersey when Hurricane Sandy hit and many are in Colorado and New Mexico right now fighting fires.”
Like an army general, Walther has fleets of resources at his fingertips. He’s ready to deploy helicopters, planes, engines, bulldozers and armies of firefighters to respond to events like Flagstaff’s Schultz Fire or Alabama’s Hurricane Ivan. “It’s controlled chaos,” he said.
Rice, and others he calls to duty, “are family people with a deep level of commitment,” says Walther.
“You have to learn how to be self-sufficient out in the middle of nowhere,” said Rice, a former Alaskan smokejumper. “Sometimes you parachute in with a box of food to last three days and if you’re lucky, a sleeping bag.”
Crew members range from kids just out of high school, to experienced hot shots and smokejumpers, to retired Forest Service employees.
“When you are committed to a team or an engine, you are really expected to drop everything and go and this could mean leaving our families behind at the drop of a hat for upwards of 20 days possibly,” said Walther. “It’s hard, it’s emotional, it can be dangerous and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it.”
Before moving into dispatch, Walther was stationed out of the Sedona Ranger District. As a firefighter on the initial attack of the 2006 La Barranca Fire in the Village of Oak Creek, he recalls how the blaze was moving right toward a hillside home.
“We were able to herd the fire around it. The gentleman who owned the house later broke down in tears. He grabbed me and hugged me. He was so happy. To be able to help that person and give him that reassurance that his memories and everything else were still there, well, sometimes you feel like you really made a difference.”
But the craziest day for Walther and many on the Coconino National Forest was June 20, 2010, the day the Schultz Fire started its fierce assault on the San Francisco Peaks.
“We had 12 aircraft along with all the ground resources, upwards of 800 people. Our fear was the fire would wipe out communities. Our folks did an awesome job that first day. You can’t get near a fire like that. We put in a line on the east side of the fire, right behind the homes and started lighting it off hoping to create a buffer and that the main fire would suck our fire into it. And it did.”
“Sometimes its frustrating when Mother Nature is not working out with your plans. It’s definitely discouraging when you see destruction on a landscape scale, but other times you feel like you’ve been able to help,” said Rice. “Anyone who signs up for a job like this is not looking for recognition.”
But often communities want to recognize the help they are receiving. Their gratitude to crews and individuals might come in the form of fresh fruit, toothbrushes and toothpaste, or thank you signs along a highway. Rice says another way to say thanks is to contribute to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
“When someone gets hurt on the line, a broken leg or is hospitalized and out of commission for a whole season, the foundation will pay for plane tickets for the family to be with the firefighter. That comfort of having family members near makes everything a little easier,” he said.
While much of the nation has been reflecting on the greatness of America and Americans during 4th of July celebrations this month, many of the heroes of the Coconino National Forest have been a long way from home, helping where they can.
“We’re servants of the public and the 4th of July makes me feel a great deal of pride and unity for what we do,” said Walther. “I have nothing but praise for all the Incident Management Teams and firefighting men and women who are out there doing their jobs to the best of their ability.” FBN
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