HELENA — A 16-year-old from Townsend was so inspired by the story of the Mann Gulch Fire that he decided to start a project to preserve its history.
"[I'm] bringing awareness to it because of the impact it had on fire and what we use now in fire," said Colt Bernard.
When he was nine years old, he researched the Mann Gulch Fire and smokejumpers for a class project and worked on this pizza box.
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Bernard said, "I think it was Papa Johns. Yep, Papa Johns."
Wildland firefighting runs in Bernard's family. One grandfather was an aviation mechanic, the other a firefighter. His grandmother was an EMT, and his mom has been a wildland firefighter since 1997.
"I've been around emergency services my whole life," said Bernard.
Bernard's passion for his project, One Foot in the Black, grew after he read "Young Men and Fire" by Norman MacLean, watched the movie "Red Skies of Montana," and committed endless hours to research.
He started a Facebook page with his mom, where they fundraised for new crosses to be placed at the Mann Gulch site.
Berenard's work preserving the monument is not done yet.
He said, "Getting a better trail. The trail itself is going to be miserable. It's terrible terrain, but maybe better pavement. More signage because they have a little pizza box-sized sign out there."
One Foot in the Black has raised money to have the names of the smokejumpers added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland.
Bernard says that without the sacrifices of the men who died 75 years ago, his mom would not be as safe fighting fires as she is today.
"New equipment, new strategies, different ways to communicate, what they wear, it basically shaped fire to where it is today," said Bernard.
So far, One Foot in the Black has raised over $5000, and Bernard's family has given roughly $15,000 to the cause.
Bernard says the best way to stay updated and support One Foot in the Black is on their Facebook page.
