SEAS FEATURE
FIGHTING WILDFIRES IS A ‘DELICATE BALANCE’
A MEMBER OF THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT MOJAVE ENGINE CREW REDUCES THE HEAT AROUND HOT AREAS OF THE ANTELOPE FIRE IN NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA.
BY LORI ATHERTON | PHOTOS BY HAROLD RICE
Harold Rice (BS ’16, MS ’19) has tremendous respect for the wildland firefighters who put their lives at risk to contain active wildfires, particularly in the West.
and watch until more resources arrive? Will you be getting out with only your crew to put out a few trees? The fear of the unknown is certainly there, but also the fear of knowing that getting into a helicopter over a fire is a hazard and getting out of it to fight a fire is yet another. “The blessing in these moments is that you will work off that ever-building adrenaline and get to see the fruits of your labor in putting out that fire.”
For two months over the summer, Rice took on that physically demanding job as part of a helitack, or helicopter, crew that was stationed in Moab, Utah. He often worked 16-hour days suppressing fires in southeastern Utah and western Colorado.
EMERGENCY RESPONDER Putting out fires is not Rice’s primary job. As a fire technology specialist with the Forest Service, he develops new tools and technologies for fire management in the southeastern United States, or Region 8, which encompasses 13 states and Puerto Rico.
Some fires were short—burning for one or two days—while others lasted for several weeks or longer. Rice didn’t know what type of wildfire situation he would encounter until he and his crew arrived on the scene.
A big part of Rice’s job, though, is emergency response. He has assisted with national emergencies including hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as wildfires, which brought him to Utah in June.
“Your adrenaline rises quickly in those moments. You are excited, and somewhat concerned, to see what that smoke on the other side holds,” says Rice, who works for the U.S. Forest Service. “Will you be suppressing a fire barreling toward someone’s home? Will you be going to a fire that is so big you can only sit back
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S T E W A R D S
At that time, the western United States was at preparedness level five—the highest level—for wildland fire activity, creating a dire need
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