HUNTSVILLE Texas A&M Forest Service hosted the fourth annual Sisters in Fire event on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Sam Houston State University Bearkat Camp. Twenty-three young women between the ages of 12 and 18 from across 23 Texas counties participated.
“For the fourth year, we’ve shown young women the comradery, integrity and excitement that comes with a career in wildland firefighting and natural resource protection,” Heather Gonzales, Texas A&M Forest Service Program Specialist, said in a news release. “We strive to make Sisters in Fire engaging, educational and fun every year and incorporate new activities and experiences. I loved seeing the laughter and teamwork from girls who were mostly strangers only a few hours before. It’s a reminder for all of us to take a step back and appreciate the work we get to do every day in serving the state of Texas.”
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.
“Starting the chainsaw was hard, but once I got it to start and got to hold it and pull the trigger, I felt so strong,” said Charlie, Sisters in Fire participant.
At this year’s event, a Fire Boss from Dauntless Air, an amphibious aircraft frequently used on Texas wildfires, made two water drops to demonstrate the vital coordination between aerial firefighting resources and ground personnel during a wildfire incident. Participants were also able to interact and board a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department helicopter — a craft commonly used to haul buckets of water to provide pinpoint water drops or conduct initial attacks on remote wildfires.
“Most people only see aircraft as a part of commercial travel, but showing these young women and their families how important and unique these firefighting aircraft are introduces them to other paths,” Cassidy Ince, Texas A&M Forest Service Fixed-Wing Program Coordinator, said in the release. “These participants may be the next generation of our fire aviation professionals, and we will lean on all of them to protect our communities in the future.”
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 young women answered questions and applied what they learned to a real-world scenario.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, women account for a small percentage of career firefighters, including 5% of all career firefighters, 11% of volunteer fire service and 12% of federal wildland firefighters.
“Getting to show the participants how all of the skills they learned all day work together during the prescribed burn is a great feeling,” said Britney Stinson, Texas A&M Forest Service Resource Specialist. “Seeing all of the participants and their families realize how all of these firefighters from multiple states and agencies can come together, make a team, and successfully lead an event is one of my favorite parts of the event.”
The Sisters in Fire event 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, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and Kansas Forest Service.
“Getting to not only work with other women with careers in the outdoors but to teach other young women is phenomenal,” said Kimberlee Peterson, Texas A&M Forest Service Woodland Ecologist. “Getting to see these young women realize they can have a career in natural resources is my favorite part of the event every year.”
