Training program teaches women how to conduct prescribed burns » Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

Last spring, in a Nebraska prairie, workers carrying drip torches carefully burned a narrow strip of prairie grass.

They were creating the perimeter for a prescribed burn – a planned fire that removes dry vegetation and reduces the risk of severe wildfire.

But this was not your typical burn crew. The team was composed almost entirely of women.

Quinn-Davidson: “In fire as a whole, we tend to see that women make up somewhere around 10% of the workforce. … You know, many women who work in fire are the only women on their entire … crew. There’s a lot of siloing and isolation.”

Lenya Quinn-Davidson directs the Women in Fire Training Exchange Program. It runs two-week-long training events for women from various backgrounds – from professional firefighters to those who have never worked with fire.

She says that as climate change increases the risk of devastating wildfires, there’s a growing need for a wide range of people who understand and are trained in techniques like prescribed burning.

Quinn-Davidson: “You want different kinds of people thinking about the problems. And you want different kinds of leadership. You want people to feel comfortable in the work so that they can operate at their best.”

So she says the program is helping expand and strengthen that workforce.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media