Just Another Way to get to Work !! | Mount Trumbull, Arizona

Mount Trumbull, Arizona

This place was Amazing

Fire Crew Loading onto Chopper

July and August in the Arizona Strip is called the �monsoon� season. During this time, every day seems to start normally with blue skies and of course hot sun, but many afternoons, like clockwork, around 3:00 or 4:00, dark clouds roll in, along with thunder and lightning, and maybe a short localized downpour. For this same reason, it�s also fire season, most fires are caused by lightning. Some fires are small - I heard on the radio of single tree fires, and some were very large, covering thousands of acres.

This is also the busiest time for the BLM. In addition to the fire crews, every BLM person can be called out if necessary to help fight fires � usually not on the fire line, but as support, bringing in food and supplies, providing first aid and medical assistance, communications, setting up camps and latrines, and other such logistics.

There were never any fires real close to Mt Trumbull, but one day a helicopter came in and shuttled one of the crews out to a wildfire about 15 miles away. That was pretty exciting, for me anyway - as one of them said, 'It's just another way to get to work'. These �guys� (two were ladies) are young, rough and tumble, full of fun, but when they were heading out to do their 'job', you could sense a change of attitude. They were more serious, helping each other get ready and checking equipment and safety rules. They knew they are going into danger, and their lives depended on each other. They were all great people to have known.