Brenna Patrick
Staff Writer
Wildfires ravaged parts of Idaho this summer, leading ISU to give student firefighters special waivers to start the semester late.
“The scariest thing about firefighting to me wouldn’t be fighting the fires but really the idea of me not making it back, and leaving my friends and family behind,” said Jake Wheeler, an English major.
He has been a firefighter since the summer of 2010. Wheeler began his fire suppression job in Mackay, Idaho. Previously, his parents worked forest construction and forest firefighting jobs.
After completing his mission for the LDS church, Wheeler decided to enter the firefighting force, and has been “in love with it ever since!”
“Probably the most rewarding thing is coming home from a long two to two-and-a-half week roll and looking in the mirror and seeing your face just covered in dirt and ash. I know it sounds lame but my thought is always the same: Ha! I fight freaking wildland wildfires! I’m a badass!” Wheeler said.
Working on the firefighter Helitack crew means Wheeler arrives at fire sites in an helicopter. Once he gets to a site, he receives his assignment and gets to “kick some butt.” The difficulty of putting out fires fluctuates, and it depends on how many fires there are, according Wheeler.
“The adrenaline of hearing the loud, high-pitched beep go off on every radio when you’re being dispatched is addicting. There are days I’ve been working out or watching television, cleaning trucks and bam! Time to go,” said Wheeler.
One summer, he went to Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Georgia. That was the summer he was a part of what is now known as the biggest fire in Arizona history.
Wheeler added that he has learned a lot about fighting fire in desert climates, as opposed to wildland wildfire fighting, especially in swamp terrain. Fire behavior in a swamp, according to Wheeler, is high intensity.
Wheeler also gets to work with a drip torch, which means he and his crew start burning out the fire for miles, continually walking and lighting things on fire.
Wheeler calls this, “A little fighting fire with fire action!”
Wheeler will graduate in December, and plans to become a university professor one day.
Spencer Madrigal, a sophomore in Business Administration, didn’t get the waiver to start late but said he worked out a way to balance firefighting and his life by organizing his days efficiently.
Born in Pocatello, he became a firefighter about a year ago because, “I wanted to be able to help and give back to my community.”
Madrigal reports in when there is a large fire or problem that requires Hazmat. He gets called in each week or two usually, or will have a 24 hour shift.
“The experience is like no other. It’s exciting and there is no other job or feeling like it,” Madrigal said.
Sophomore Kyle Eldridge from Ely, Nev., started firefighting last December. He understands the last-minute nature of firefighting.
“I’ve even left on my anniversary for a fire call,” said Eldridge
The Fire Service Administration major said he works for the Chubbuck Fire Department, where he is a pay-call volunteer. That means he is on call 24/7. If a call goes out, he has to respond, no matter what he is doing.
“Balancing the mix between school, life, firefighting and a regular job can be tough and stressful but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love it,” said Elridge. “The most rewarding part is being able to help people in the community, and also being able to make some of the best relationships between other firefighters. It truly is a brotherhood with those guys.”
