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May 13, 2007 - 8:42AM
Special Report: Fiery line of defense
Mike Branom, Tribune
Part 1 of a 2-day special report series
When wildfires erupt, the news is filled with reports of acres burned, people displaced and homes lost. But concealed by the smoke and flames are the people responsible for saving lives and land. These men and women do their jobs with little fanfare in the face of great danger.
With the fire season looming closer with every 100-degree day, the Tribune presents four profiles of firefighting professionals.
From a mountaintop perch, Rob Brownell keeps a wary eye on the Tonto National Forest. James Osborne’s rugged 20-man Hotshot crew will spend the summer traveling across the West, fighting one blaze after another.
Beryl Shears’ fleet of small planes can slow fires so they can be knocked down by ground forces.
Finally, Jeff Whitney’s decisions when a fire rages can make the difference between containment and catastrophe.
Arizona’s population boom means more people are moving into the urban interface, where man builds in the deserts and forests. It’s up to these professionals to make sure residents don’t learn through tragedy that fire is neither a friend nor foe of modern civilization, but a fact of nature.
TWO-DAY SERIES
TODAY: From ground crews to those high above the treetops, these are the men and women who fight wildfires in Arizona’s deserts and high country.
COMING MONDAY: Forest Service officials are in a race against time to thin Arizona’s overgrown woodlands before more catastrophic wildfires ignite.
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