I graduated from Colorado State University in 2021 with a wildlife biology degree. Straight out of college I joined Larimer County Conservation Corps on the forestry crew doing fuels mitigation. My S-212 course was taught by The Ember Alliance, and one of the instructors was a woman. Being one of two girls on a crew of eight, and having a woman instruct the course was empowering and motivating. At the beginning of that season, I wasn’t interested in pursing a career in fuels or fire at all. My mind changed towards the end of the season when I learned about prescribed fire, and how the piles we constructed all summer would eventually be burned. After that season I headed off to Alaska to work on a cruise ship as a naturalist for five weeks. During my time there, the idea of pursuing a career in fire cemented and I decided to sign up for fire classes at Front Range Community College that were put on by The Ember Alliance.
In a classroom full of men, I was the only female student. Again, instead of allowing this to discourage me, I was inspired by my instructor and the other women instructors involved in teaching these courses. After my fire classes in the off-season, The Ember Alliance posted a fuels crewmember position. I was on an amazing crew of mostly women and got to cut a lot of trees. Later, in August of 2022, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) reached out to TEA and my crew and I joined a “throw together” suppression crew in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho for a couple of weeks. On this assignment, I was hired on with TNC on their North American prescribed fire crew. While I was on this crew, I got to travel to several states including Idaho, Oregon, and New Mexico. I assisted in prescribed burns and preparing units to be burned in the future. As the burning season in the west was coming to an end, I was encouraged by my mentors to apply to the TNC RX crew based out of South Carolina.
In January of 2023 I made my way to South Carolina. I got to be a part of thousands of acres burned, learned how fire interacts with vegetation, and developed my leadership skills. Also, during January, I applied to be on a fire effects crew with the National Park Service and in May I made my way out West to Zion National Park. Our work in Zion includes monitoring plots of land where fire has made its way through, and how the vegetation is recovering by gathering fuels samples to determine fuel moisture content. We received advisor training to serve on wildfire incidents where some archeology and wildlife may be at risk. As my season ends here in Zion, I am headed to Redding, California to be a part of a prescribed fire module. I will get to do prescribed fire during the winter and suppression during the summer. Ultimately, my goal is to prescribed fire year-round and eventually connect my love for wildlife and fire. I’ve been so privileged in the support I receive from my family, friends, and mentors and I wouldn’t be able to be where I am if it were not for their unwavering belief in me.
By Sarah Solis