TAKING ON THE HEAT: THE STORY OF LUKE ESPINOZA

by Luke Davis

We’ve all seen the effects of the wildfires in recent years, but none see real-time effects more than the woodland firefighters. This includes Mazama member Luke Espinoza. Espinoza, age 27, joined the Mazamas in 2023 after climbing Mt. McLoughlin. However, he hasn’t been able to use his membership for climbing yet because last year he also joined the woodland firefighters.

I’ve known Espinoza since 2016 in college and I wanted to chronicle his journey from insurance companies to woodland firefighting. It was late April 2024 when Espinoza first heard of the openings with the Oregon Department of Forestry for seasonal woodland firefighters, through a past co-worker. He didn’t have any qualifications besides Mazama activities, but the recent “radio silence” from financial and mid-level office jobs was getting frustrating. Not only that, he was looking for something more ethical than another insurance company. Espinoza saw the firefighting job as a chance to learn about and experience more environmentally related jobs in the field, as well as providing a physical challenge.

The first day on the job was June 10. Training took place mostly at Sweet Home High School, where participants pitched tents around the school for the next 5 days. During his time there, Espinoza said they were in classrooms and field sessions from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. They learned all about the tools and processes with the trucks, how to dig a line (a trench-like strip in the ground to act as a barrier and travel), deploy a fire shelter (a sleeping bag like structure with a metallic antiflame coating), run a pump, and several other skills. Weather, natural fuels, and atmospheric models and changes, as well as maps and navigation were also covered. They also participated in several physical training sessions; the final test being 13 laps (3.125 miles) around the track with a weighted vest in 45 minutes. In the field, Espinoza was trained to drive both the modified pickup truck and the modified semi-truck.

When I asked Espinoza what surprised him most about the job, he listed a few things. The first was what he described as “gym strength” and “trade strength.” The type of endurance and adaptability to rugged terrain was a new type of physical challenge to him. He described everything as a bushwhack, where he had to develop “forest legs” for quick travel. They would often have to climb ridgelines up to 60 degrees to get views of the situation from above. The upper body strength to carry tools and the standard 40 pound pack was also an adjustment, even for past football players, Espinoza described. He noted that before this job, he would have been intimidated by Mazama hikes that were described as “strenuous,” “fast-paced,” or for “experienced” participants. He said that he wouldn’t think twice about applying for those today.

The other big surprises Espinoza described were the different types of forest and their different environments. One part of his job is that he has keys to nearly every gate on every road and has seen a lot of land that most hikers/ climbers never will. One stark difference was federal and state forests versus private lands used for logging. He said that while the federal and state lands are generally biologically diverse, the private lands are often monotonous: Douglas Firs. They are “native” [Espinoza’s quotes] so loggers can plant them everywhere, but they don’t allow for any undergrowth. He described walking through lands that felt like “a giant Above: Luke Espinoza tending hotspots. Photo: Unknown.

Christmas tree farm with no life on the forest floor.” Another surprise from the forests was the temperatures. On hot days, Espinoza feared overheating. However, he said the forests were surprisingly cool, with shade, water, vegetation, and wind acting as natural coolants. He said there were some days where the cemented cities almost felt hotter than traveling through the forest.

Espinoza was not free from overheating though. During one fire, on a 95 degree day, Espinoza was hosing flames while helicopters dropped water from above. He became the third person to get heat exhaustion that day and ended up in an ambulance. Fortunately, he described his vitals stabilizing quickly and he was able to recover with an I.V. After an hour he was able to leave the ambulance and was moved to hose embers for the rest of the day, away from the central heat.

When I asked Espinoza about his favorite part of the job, he immediately said his co-workers. He described his team as being from all walks of life, that there was no sense of competitiveness or drama between them, and that safety has been a top priority among his team. However, he was also thankful for spending so much time in nature seemingly untouched by man (although he stressed that humans are affecting all of nature, whether we have physically been there or not). He described beautiful, deep blue alpine pools on private lands, wildlife such as bull elk, and lots of huckleberries!

When I asked what his least favorite part was, he described how “bad” he was at some of the physical aspects. He described his struggles with learning different tools, not knowing where to start a process, forgetting technical jargon, asking for help, and being challenged by “3D hardware” instead of “2D software.” However, he said that these were the areas where he saw the most improvement, as he mastered them over time. He reminds us that “if you remain humble, vulnerable, and teachable, then you will discover that there is always something more to learn.”

Espinoza’s seasonal position ended October 25 and he was able to participate with the Mazamas some more! This summer, Espinoza will be returning to ODF as a woodland firefighter, but he hopes to one day study forestry.