Alumni News C U T T H R O AT
WINTER 2013
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
ALUMNA ON THE FRONT LINES: BEAVER CREEK FIRE REFLECTION
Three days on the Beaver Creek Fire was nothing short of an eye-opening experience. Anja Sundali ‘06
T
HE SHEER AMOUNT of resources, personnel, and hours dedicated to saving our town was mind-boggling. As a volunteer member of the Ketchum Fire Department, I had only been exposed to a small aspect of emergency management. Local emergency medical calls, fire alarms, backcountry rescues, even structure fires pale in comparison to the magnitude of a wildfire. Pulling up to Incident Command on my first day at 0530, the camp was already alive with activity. Hundreds of emergency vehicles, from tankers to engines, choppers, dozers, and other support vehicles, were lined up on one side of the camp. More than one thousand tents covered the other side. There were mobile office spaces for finance, planning, operations, and logistics management. Food trucks. Dining areas. Shower trailers, even a laundry trailer. Hot shots and hand crews from as far away as the East Coast and engine companies from surrounding areas all gathered in one place with one purpose — to fight this fire. On a wildfire, every job is important. There were plenty of us who never saw "action" on the front lines, but support jobs were equally important. Crews rationed our food for the day, cleaned up the camp, and managed the facilities, all so we could do our jobs to the best of our abilities. My crew spent 16 hours each day patrolling Croy Canyon and Baker Creek. Our job was to watch for spot fires and provide water resources to other engines. At that point, there was very little to see, but the residents in the surrounding areas felt reassured by our presence, and we were glad to provide it.
Anja Sundali '06 and her aunt Lara McLean
I have never been the recipient of so much thanks and gratitude. It feels strange — I didn't really do anything. I didn't feel important. However, everywhere we went, we saw handmade signs declaring "Thank You Firefighters," "God Bless the Firefighters," and "Welcome Fire Fighters." People stopped us in the streets to thank us. I realize now that it is not about what I did or how I felt. It is about what WE did. As firefighters, we are all part of one giant family, even if we don't realize it. When someone thanks one of us, they thank all of us, from the person flying the DC10 and the hotshot on the line to the person figuring out where all the firefighters are going to eat and sleep. It was all I could do to thank everyone I encountered. This is my town, too. My home was temporarily evacuated like many others. There are not sufficient words (although I've certainly tried to find them) to express the gratitude I feel as a resident and firefighter to everyone who lent a hand in helping us here in the valley.