A day in the life of a BLM firefighter

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Fire crews across southern Idaho have been busy responding to blazes across the region.

KMVT’s Zach Bruhl talks to a crew that has been actively fighting incidents, like the Bray Fire, about how a busy start could impact the rest of the season.

When responding to fires, the Bureau of land Management has safety protocols in place to ensure crews are not over-exerting themselves on the job.

“For every two hours they work, they need to have one hour of rest. So, generally speaking, we try not to work them much more than 15-16 hours in a day, because that gives them 8 hours off to rest and recoup for the next day,” said Kelsey Brizendine, from the Twin Falls BLM Fire Management Program.

But, in certain circumstances, that protocol can be broken.

Big fires, ones that threaten lives or property, fires nearing the end and other scenarios can result in extreme measures being taken.

“We can break that two-to-one and go up to 36 hours. That has to be approved and it is not taken lightly,” said Brizendine.

So, imagine this, you just worked 36 hours fighting a fire; hard physical labor. You get 10 hours off, but you get to sleep 10 hours just like this, might not be the best rest you ever get.

“My head hits the pillow in my sleeping bag and it’s like I blink and I’m awake. We try to, you know, have the same routine, breakfast, lunch, dinner, but most of the time it’s just sleep, eat, go,” said Jack Darcy from the Twin Falls BLM Fire Management Program.

Darcy says this routine is manageable for a shift, but if it is relied upon multiple times a season, the risk increases.

“It is unsafe. We’re risking safety by lack of sleep,” said Darcy.

With the fire season just getting into full swing, Twin Falls District BLM has already had some crews work 36-hour shifts to battle the Bray Fire and while crews hope to avoid relying on those hours again, they remain prepared to respond when needed.

Darcy finished by adding, “Job has to be done. We’re pretty used to it so we can just flip around and just go... back to work.”.

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