Texas A&M Forest Service hosted the fifth annual Sisters in Fire event Sept. 27 at Del Mar College-West Campus FEMA Dome. Thirty participants from eighth through 12th grades across 11 counties in Texas attended the event.
Texas A&M Forest Service seeks to promote careers in wildland firefighting and natural resource professions. One of the ways to help promote these careers is to provide hands-on learning to the next generation. For the fifth year, participants were shown the comradery, integrity and excitement that comes with these career fields.
Participants were split into squads, or teams, for the day and rotated through four stations. Each station introduced them to various topics and skills relating to the wildland firefighting profession, including how to suppress wildfires with fire engines, bulldozers, chainsaws and hand tools. They also learned leadership and communication skills that are critical for wildland firefighting crews.
“Sisters in Fire has definitely encouraged me; I always thought maybe I could do wildland firefighting, but seeing all these people who do this for a living and all these girls my age who want to do wildland firefighting, is building up my courage,” said Alexandra, eighth grade participant.
A Texas A&M Forest Service drone was flown to demonstrate its capabilities as a tool to firefighters during a wildfire incident, specifically using thermal imagery. Participants were able to interact with the drone and see a live bird’s eye view of the demonstration area on their personal devices.
Participants put everything they learned to the test during the final event of the day–a prescribed fire demonstration. While the instructors burned a small area of grass, the participants answered questions and applied what they learned to a real-world scenario.
“As someone who grew up in this area, I am so excited to bring Sisters in Fire to the Coastal Bend this year,” said Heather Gonzales, Texas A&M Forest Service and Sisters in Fire Incident Commander. “It has been so rewarding to hear the laughter and see the engagement from all the participants. It’s an incredibly unique opportunity to allow participants to experience wildland firefighting and explore its career options in a non-emergency setting.”
Sisters in Fire was hosted in cooperation with Texas A&M Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, Local Fire Department and Emergency Management Staff, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Kansas Forest Service.
“Getting to see these participants realize they can work in the outdoors and not an office is my favorite part of the event every year,” said Kimberlee Peterson, Texas A&M Forest Service.
Article source and photo credit: Texas A&M Forestry Service
