Fire Camp Pt. 2

Good morning all! Katie again with another segment of my fire camp experience. I hope you enjoy and continue to follow along!

Check-in was at noon, and no, I couldn’t check in early. So, I sat outside the check-in like a newbie and watched as more people came in for camp. I cheered up a little as I saw another female come up to the line. Eventually I checked my phone – forgot a watch, must remember that for any time I may go out on a team – and it was time to check in. Nervous, I stepped up and gave the check-in my name, he told me where and who to report to (there were a total of 3 crews). I scooted out as quick as I could and found our muster area. Keeping in mind that this training was meant to be as real as possible without putting us in danger.

I met my Crew Boss and upon learning my name he confirmed that I was on modified training. I nodded and held my breath waiting for the possibility that I’d be treated differently. He dropped the topic after informing me that I would have a ride on the long hike due to my physical limitations. I let my breath out in a sigh of relief, so far so good, I didn’t seem to be the black sheep…yet. Next big thing was to weigh our packs.

The whole reasoning behind that was to see where we were for weight. As far as I knew, none of us had left the state on a fire assignment, so packing for the trip may not have been second nature. 

We had leeway of 55 pounds for our gear and our personal bag. However, we were supposed to pack as though we were on a 14-day assignment, not a three-day weekend. Most of us were under the limit, others dangerously close and some were over.

Not only is hiking 55+ pounds a pain, there is also the flight to consider. Most of the time the teams are flown on charter which has a very strict weight limit. The weight is totaled from the crew themselves and their gear, so if the plane is over, some weight needs to go – and it’s not coming off your body. If you’re like me then sometimes you like to buy souvenirs…you’ll want to leave space in your pack for that possibility as well.

We all did one of those “stand up and introduce yourself” ice breakers. Beneficial because in a real situation you’re going to be with these people for a minimum of 14 days. You need to get to know them to work with them better and essentially be in sync with them. It will make the whole assignment go smoother. Even in the short time I was with this crew, we all quickly picked up on a way to work to strengths and weaknesses.

The first night we were to camp in a wooded area close to facilities to simulate staying at a main fire camp. So, before classes that day we all hiked our gear to where we were going to camp. We all found places to put our tents and then stowed our personal gear away before heading out to class. We had plenty of information thrown at us in a short span of time, but the good news was the next day we would put it all into play in a field exercise.

When we took a break for dinner we were surprised to see the amount of food provided to us by the food hall. 

Why so much food? Because during a real assignment you’ll be working so hard that your body will utilize more calories than you normally intake in a day. So, you’re loaded up with calories from food while on assignment as well as making sure you stay hydrated. Full, and probably more tired than we needed to be, we resumed the classes for the night.

The night ended late, around 2230, so most of us were just ready for bed knowing we had a long day ahead of us the next morning. We had the choice to shower and linger around, it was our free time. I had to get some things I had forgotten with my co-worker, I needed to decide just how important those things were compared to sleep for the next day. Realizing that I would need those items, I trudged off into the dark with my headlamp – also memo to self, a regular flashlight would be a plus. Finally crawling into my sleeping bag, it seemed like a snap of the fingers that I was waking up again at 0600.

The goal was to either: A.) Use the hour before breakfast to start tearing down camp or B.) Take your time getting ready. Option A lent you time after breakfast to “relax” and prepare for the day; option B gave you extra hygiene time, but put you in a rush before hiking out after breakfast. I chose option A, much like most of my crew.

Unlike the previous day, we didn’t make camp before heading out. This time we staged our personal gear inside a tent to wait until we were done for the day. We mustered for a briefing by the dinner hall before the long hike.

It hit me again… I’m different.

I get pulled off to the side in front of my crew with one other female who was doing the modified portion as well. We were getting a ride to the exercise locations instead of taking the long hike. The whole ride there I felt awkward because I wasn’t putting in quite as much effort as the others. But I had to remind myself that I wouldn’t be of any use to them if I destroyed the mobility I did have on a hike.

Tune in again for another installment in this series!

-Katie