Twenty-four-year-old Teresa Brna is excited about her first season of fighting fires with the Ochoco National Forest.
Amanda Peacher / OPB
Across the West, wildland firefighters are preparing for a busy season and a hot, dry summer, which is becoming the new norm. As EarthFix reported, more than 1.3 million acres have burned in the Northwest each year for the past three years.
Teresa Brna, 24, is a new seasonal firefighter with the Ochoco National Forest based in Prineville. OPB will check in with her throughout the summer. Recently, reporter Amanda Peacher followed her for a day at "guard school."
"It's a one-week training course that all firefighters go to," explained Brna.
During training, Brna learned how to communicate with a radio, operate a hose and dig a containment line around a fire.
She and her crew are expecting a busy season, given the drought in Oregon and current conditions.
"We know it's pretty hot and dry out there so we're really pounding in the safety," said Brna.
Brna expected that she'd be one of just a few female firefighters on her crew. At first, that worried her.
"I was a little apprehensive in joining in just being in the minority," said Brna. "I wanted to be able to keep up and be respected. But it doesn't really look like it's going to be an issue. That's one of the primary pillars of what we're doing — respect, and really watching out for each other, and coming together as a crew."