Some summer jobs involve flipping burgers, watching youngsters swim or filing in an office. Connor Kraegel, however, set more specific goals. The senior international rescue and relief major spent an exciting summer as Wildland fire fighter for the Shoshone National Forest Wildland Fire Module, fighting wildfires in the region.
“Responding to wildland fires is an exhilarating experience,” explained Kraegel. “I had the opportunity to fight a fire in Glacier National Park where my hand crew was responsible for a 1.5-mile section of fire line. In order to construct a protective perimeter we used explosives to blow up trees and brush into a two-foot wide trench. Afterward we held the line with helicopter water bucket drops and extensive chainsaw work. After two long weeks and over 100 miles of hiking we finally contained the fire.”
The Shoshone National Forest Wildland Fire Module is a type 2 wildland fire engine/hand crew based near Cody, Wyoming, dedicated to fighting forest fires on public lands in the northern U.S.
