
Dozens of wildfires are currently roaring their way through the forests and brushlands of the American West, and thousands of firefightersâboth men and womenâare battling the blazes. But what is it like to actually be on the fire line, to breathe the acrid smoke, feel the intense heat of racing orange flames, and silently pray that the wind doesnât suddenly change direction and trap you in an inescapable inferno?
Someone who knows the answers to those questions firsthand is Tim Snyder of Springfield, Ohio. Having only recently completed a 21-year career in wildlands firefighting, Snyder was deployed west 18 times, fighting more than two dozen fires.
He learned to fight wildfires while working for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. âThe first two or three fires I was sent on in the West was as an ODNR employee,â said Snyder. âThen I started going out on my own, taking vacation leave to do so. We were allowed on the fire line for 14 days before being required to return home. And there are no days off during that time.â Â
Not surprisingly, Snyder said the job is demanding: 12-hour days with an occasional 18-hour work day. âOn a few fires we worked more than 24 hours straight,â he said. For their efforts fire crew members are paid from $10 to $20 per hour, depending upon their level of responsibility, experience and expertise. Â
Much of the work involves building a fire line, using a shovel and other hand tools to dig and scrape away all the combustible material in a 3-foot-wide swath of ground that stretches for miles. Itâs hot, dusty, dirty, back-breaking work, but must be done to stop a raging wildfire. Bulldozers are used wherever possible, but on mountainous or remote terrain where bulldozers cannot operate, fire crews are sent in.
A crew consists of 20 people including a crew boss, possibly a crew-boss trainee, three squad bosses, and finally squads that consist of five or six people. Snyder began as a basic firefighter, then advanced to squad boss. He eventually became an ICT5, a position Snyder calls super-squad boss. Â Â Â Â
âWhen most people see the dramatic footage of a forest fire burning on TV they assume that firefighters are directly in front of the flames squirting water at it; but that is not how fires are fought,â he said. âWhat firefighters do is build a fire line, sometimes miles away from where the main fire is burning. Then we actually start a fire inside that line that burns toward the main fire. Once the two fires meet, there is no longer any fuel remaining and both fires eventually go out.â
At least thatâs how things are supposed to work. Snyder and his crew were initiating just such a âburn-out,â as itâs termed, when his most memorable day on the fire line occurred.
âWe were working the 2007 Trout Meadows Fire in the Umatilla National Forest in Oregon,â Snyder recalled. âMy crew was in a dense forest of spruce and fir trees, some standing 80 to 90 feet tall, and all the trees were covered with Grandfatherâs Beard, a lichen that hangs down and looks much like the Spanish moss growing on trees in the South. When flames touch the base of such a tree, the entire tree ignites like a Roman candle; it makes a loud whooshing roar and sends burning embers flying in every direction.
âThat particular back fire got so intense that helicopters were making water drops directly behind us and airplanes were flying over spreading a slurry of orange fire retardant. At one point we even got splattered by the retardant, which isnât safe because the slurry can be very heavy, even breaking off large tree limbs as it falls. So the combined noise of the back fire, with trees igniting and helicopters and airplanes overhead, made things really loud and confusing. It was a day Iâll never forget.â (The photo accompanying this story was taken that particular day; Snyder is the person standing in the lower right corner.)
He and his crew were never trapped by a fire, but Snyder has had to evacuate areas rapidly. âThe fire bosses are very cautious,â he said. âAnd if we were working anywhere close to an active fire we always posted our own crew lookout, as well. In addition, we had a safe zone identified nearby that we could run to in case of emergency. And we always carried what are called âbaked-potatoâ tents, aluminum emergency fire shelters that are just large enough for one person to huddle under and allow the fire to sweep over us.â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Most wildlands firefighters eat and sleep in a fire camp miles from the active fire. Much like a military field base, the camp has shower facilities, a mess tent and portable toilets. âAnd they send you out daily with a good-sized lunch, because you never know when youâll get back to camp,â Snyder said.
For instance, if youâre working a fire line and it gets late in the day, you may be instructed to âcoyoteâ for the night, which means finding a safe spot to sleep for a few hours, then get back up and continue to build the line. Â Â Â
To prepare for such a jobâeither a part-time or full-time careerâa potential firefighter needs to be in excellent physical condition. âThe âpack testâ tends to weed people out,â said Snyder. âIt involves walking 3 miles in 45 minutes, which isnât too difficult for most young people. However, you are also carrying a 45-pound pack on your back as you walk.â In other words, no wimps need apply.
Also helpful to have before applying for such a job is some actual firefighting experience. Snyder recommends volunteering with a local volunteer fire department as a way to start. And if you happen to be attending a natural-resources college or tech school, take a wildlands firefighting course or two if offered. Â Â Â Â
Asked what made him want to fight wildfires, Snyder had this to say. âI guess initially it was the idea of an adventure,â he said. âIt was something I never thought Iâd have a chance to do, but suddenly I had the opportunity and knew that if I didnât take advantage of it Iâd probably regret that decision the rest of my life.â
Snyder said, too, that when you head out on a fire for the first time you donât quite know what to expect, so there is a bit of anxiety. âFirefighting is not for everyone, and some guys and gals work one fire and you never see them again,â he said. âBut for other peopleâand I guess Iâm one of themâfirefighting gets into your blood and you keep going back when called upon by the Forest Service. The camaraderie of other firefighters is part of the draw, too. Â Â Â Â
âIâm proud of my career and that I was able to participate for as long as I did,â said Snyder. âBut eventually your body begins to let you know that itâs time to quit; firefighting is definitely a young personâs job. Iâm thankful for all the various people I met through the years and the wild places I saw. But my ultimate memory is of driving through small western towns and seeing homemade signs that read: Thank you, firefighters! Thatâs when you knew you were doing something goodâŠsomething worthwhile.â
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