Face Behind the Flames
There is a lot to learn about wildfires as they are a magnificent but very real and destructive force that requires a lot of attention and response.
Thankfully, these crucial responsibilities are handled by Wildland Firefighters, the faces behind the flames. Every day, these individuals work hard to protect communities, important infrastructure, and natural resources.
Gaudette seen standing next to Brush 2 at Station 3 in Vail, CO. Image by Annie Hessler.
Lukas Gaudette is among one of them. Gaudette, who is 25 years old, works for Vail Fire and Emergency Services, as a Senior Wildland Firefighter. He has been employed by Vail Fire for two years. Earlier this week, Gaudette took the time to answer some burning questions that may be on the minds of some people regarding wildland firefighting.
Q: What is a wildland firefighter? How do they differ from structure firefighters?
A: A structure firefighter works year round unlike wildland crews and deals with incidents such as structure fires, meaning building, motor vehicle fires, and no on, whereas wildland deals strictly with forest fires and also handles fire mitigation such as issuing tree removal permits for the town of Vail and do tree removal and chip as well as other project work.
Q: So what initially got you interested in joining a wildland fire crew?
A: I was mainly interested in the idea of someday becoming part of a Hotshot crew and what they do, as they in my opinion, are the highest trained individuals when it comes to wildland crews
Q: Can you explain what a Hotshot Crew is?
A: Yes, hotshot crews are among the most highly trained, talented, and experienced wildland firefighters, coming in second behind Smokejumpers of course who are very highly trained and respond to remote wildfires by parachuted, they essentially provide the initial attack response by jumping out of planes onto the fire.
Q: What is your schedule like?
A: Our schedule on a regular week is four days a week, ten hours a day, though you can be called in really anytime if needed. We also will be called on what we call rolls, which is a resource order indicating that a large fire is requiring out of state resources. We usually go on three rolls per season per person, although our station responds to seven to ten orders per fire season.
Q: What’s your favorite part about your job? What keeps you coming back?
A: Well, the firefighting part! Although it’s a very demanding job, I honestly really enjoy the pressure of it all, I like the action of it. I especially enjoy burn operations, which is the process of fighting fire with fire essentially. By taking away fuels in a strategic manner you are able to stop the forward progression of a fast moving fire.
Q: What is your least favorite part about your job?
A: Obviously being away from home is difficult when being away on long rolls and even more difficult when you get so called “sitting assignments” when you are either monitoring fire behavior as a lookout or just the low intensity activities when it gives you the time to think about all the things you are missing back home, such as family and loved ones.
Q: Is having this job hard on your family and loved ones?
A: Yeah absolutely, my mom still won’t talk to me when I’m on a roll, which is extremely difficult as I am extremely close with her. Though my dad always keeps in touch and keeps my mom updated which I appreciate.
Though it is tough, especially on personal relationships, if you don’t have the right partner it can be near to impossible though I am fortualiate enough to have a very amazing partner and she makes it very easy while being away from home
Q: I expect this job to have a major physical and possibly even mental toll on you; could you tell me a little bit about this:
A: The physical ones are pretty obvious, we have to hike anywhere from 45 to 150 pounds up mountains for miles at times which can get old pretty quick but after a while it kind of becomes fun cause you’re never in it alone, you’re always with your crew; you can all complain together.
As for mental tolls, it can definitely be difficult. Vail Fire, in particular, responds to medical emergencies and backcountry medicals, and you will occasionally see things that leave a mark for sure.
Q: Do you have a particular story or memory that you could tell me about one that really sticks in your mind?
A: There have definitely been a lot of moments in my fire career that stand out, and you just say to yourself yeah I definitely picked the right career!
One in particular would be on the California Dixie fire, which reached nearly a million acres, and I was able to watch a VLAT, which stands for Very Large Air Tanker, make retardant drops to preserve these historic cottages, which was really amazing and almost magical to see the coordination efforts between the crews as well as those in the air. It really just reinforces that idea of being part of something bigger and it’s really cool to see crews come together in that way.
Q: What would you like to accomplish later down the road in your career?
A: I would like to oneday be a Smokejumper, as they are the pinnacle of wildland firefighting. Though I have a lot of work to do as they usually require five years of fire experience and, and two years of those five being on a hotshot crew. On top of that they want you to be highly educated, in shape and overall at your best.
Q: My last question for you, if you could give some advice to someone who wants to become a wildland firefighter what would that be?
A: You definitely have to understand the responsibility and difficult tasks that come with the job whether it’s the physical demands or the mental starians. It can get tiresome, but it’s all worth it. And finding a good crew to work with is one of the most beneficial ways to expand your knowledge and process your career.
