KALISPELL - Firefighters are gearing up for what could be a bad fire season and as we all know, it affects our summer with smoke and limited outdoor activities.
But what is it like for the people battling these blazes?
“There's an adrenaline rush. I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't say that. But when it comes down to it, we get out there to try to do it for the citizens of this country for Flathead County. And the resources, I mean, everybody lives out here that I know they live out here because they love the outdoors. Well, firefighters do too,” observed Flathead County Fire Warden Lincoln Chute.
While firefighters battle a blaze, it affects all first responders who must jump in and help when these incidents happen — adding more stress to already stressful jobs.
“Is it stressful? Absolutely. Within respect, you know, everybody has stress. But, you know, I think the biggest thing we can do is support these, all these first responders, and, you know, just give them that respect," said Chute. "It is it's a tough job. It takes a rare breed, but it's very satisfying.”
Try as they might, loss of homes and structures does happen in wildfires and the firefighters don’t take the losses lightly.
“I'll tell you it's tough...[when] I've been on fires. I'm a structure protection specialist. And I've run out with incident management teams. I've been on fires. Yeah, when you lose somebody's home, you know, I mean, I kind of a lot of times I'll beat myself up what could I have done different?” said Chute.
People can do their part in helping keep the fire season mild by trying to eliminate human-caused wildfires but when a fire sparks, the firefighters are ready to jump in and do what they can.
“And these people are doing this job to help their neighbors, the citizens, protect the environment. You know, it's a different breed of people,” Chute concluded.
