As wildland fires continue to roar a destructive path across parts of Montana, local forest rangers and trained incident management volunteers have shipped out to help battle the blazes.
A 20-person state wildland firefighting crew departed from Saratoga Springs on Friday, Aug. 10, bound for the Jocko Lakes area.
Among them is Kyle M. Trojan, 18, of Scotia. The Montana trip is his first assignment as a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) emergency volunteer.
He’s trained for this kind of situation for years, and this is what he wants to do, said Kyle’s mom, Carolyn Trojan. `He was excited to go, and we were happy for him.`
Trojan just graduated from a home-schooling program within the Scotia-Glenville district. He has finished firefighters 1 and 2 trainings, is a certified wildland firefighter, and recently became an emergency medical technician.
`He was put on a stand-by list for an emergency response last fall,` said Carolyn Trojan. `I think since he became an EMT, it moved him way up the list.`
Go west, young man
Trojan and his squad were dispatched to the Jocko Lakes area of Montana, where fires were started on Aug. 3 by severe thunderstorms and lightning.
With thousands of acres of dry woodlands as timber, the flames raged as winds picked up to fan the fires at 35 miles per hour. High heat and low humidity have been plaguing containment efforts, and squads are hoping for the hot weather to break.
Fire personnel on site are building containment lines to halt the speed of the burn, keeping a watchful eye on power lines, and communicating with residents and schools that have been evacuated. Fire whirls have been reported, which allow the flames to cross creeks and other small waterways in the area. Helicopter drop buckets are being used to douse the flames overhead.
The fires are listed as being just 25 percent contained, with more than 1,000 fire personnel on site. The estimated containment date, according to DEC reports, is Sept. 15.
`The severity of this fire is high,` said DEC spokesperson Lori O’Connell. `It’s not highly unusual to have New York state volunteers called out, but this is a serious incident.`
Firefighting a family tradition
One of the reasons Carolyn Trojan isn’t overly apprehensive about her son’s departure is that she’s seen firsthand how well fire management volunteers are trained. Her father, George Fields, was a Burnt Hills volunteer fireman and captain of the fire police for more than 45 years. Her husband Jeff, Kyle’s dad, was a volunteer in the Charlton fire department for several years before moving to Scotia, where he is now the West Glenville Fire Department assistant chief. Her oldest son Dale, 20, works as an industrial painter, but is also a volunteer firefighter.
`All three of my men are firefighters, and my daughter Rachel, who’s 13, can’t wait to be 16 to volunteer,` said Carolyn, who is also active in the fire department as the secretary and district treasurer.
Kyle grew up riding along with his father and hanging out at the firehouse.
`This was always his plan as he grew up,` said Carolyn.
Suiting up
Kyle’s team left on Friday, Aug. 10. They are expected to return after two weeks of battling the blazes.
`I’m very confident he’ll be safe; I know all the people in his squad,` said Carolyn. `I should have felt nervous, but they all keep a good eye on each other. It must be an awesome experience for all of them.`
At 6-foot-2-inches and about 200 pounds, Kyle has earned the nickname `Gentle Giant,` and his physical strength and endurance is a source of comfort for his family.
`He can do this,` said Carolyn. `They suited him up in Saratoga, and the level of gear they give them is held to a very high standard. Those standards are constantly being raised; that’s why it’s difficult for smaller fire departments to keep up with compliance standards on such limited budgets.`
Kyle is fighting the flames on the ground, doing hotspot protection rather than fire jumping from the air. Working more than 10 hours a day, the volunteers are sleeping safely in hotels but have little time to keep in touch with family.
`We did get one call from him at 1 in the morning the first full day he was in Montana,` said Carolyn. `He was exhausted but very committed to being there.`
When he’s not continuing his emergency training, Kyle works in construction and at Bowman Orchards in Rexford. But his mom expects this won’t be the last time her middle son heads out to help keep people he doesn’t even know out of harm’s way.
`He’s applied at the Lockheed Martin site in West Milton to become an incident prevention specialist,` said Carolyn. `Or he’d like to be a paid firefighter as a career. I didn’t realize how many options there are for him out there as far as being a paramedic or emergency responder. Whatever he chooses, he’ll give it his best.` “
