Firefighter works with students

Jinny Pitman is a fire education specialist -- and a firefighter. photo by Jim Cornelius

Jinny Pitman is a wildland firefighter. She fights fires with everything at her command: education, prevention -- and on the line with fire engines.

Her title is Fire Prevention and Education Specialist for the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters Ranger Station. Her job is to prevent fires first and then to help to put them out when prevention fails.

"I work with all the schools in this area on education about prevention, especially with the first graders. That's a big job in itself," she said, "as I think there are 28 first grade classrooms just in the Bend School District."

On the recent Davis Fire near La Pine, Pitman was a "strike team leader" in charge of five fire engines, water trucks holding 200 to 1,000 gallons.

She coordinated her team's efforts with other resources getting information from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville.

She is also responsible for the two lookout towers within this jurisdiction, Green Ridge and Black Butte.

"We have volunteers at Green Ridge," she said, "and a full-time ranger atop the Black Butte tower who now lives there.

"We fly in, by helicopter, propane for heat and cooking plus bottled water," Pitman said. "All personal items and food is carried up there by the lookout in a backpack."

The "hike" from the parking area to the tower is about two miles -- a good reason for the lookout to live there rather than making a four mile round-trip walk to work each day. (The path to the top of Black Butte is open to the public. The tower is not).

"Early detection is one of the principal means of keeping fires small," Pitman said. "This is one of the ways we fight wildland fires, by getting to them early after spotting them when we just see a puff of smoke."

This new campaign on signs and other media encouraging homeowners to maintain "defensible space" is part of her program.

"We put up the signs, get the word out through association newsletters, newspaper feature articles, on radio and TV," she said.

It is all part of the fire prevention education program that is a portion of Pitman's job.

"I am also concerned about campfires," she said. "They are my number-one interest."

They seem to be the number one human-error problem in the woods.

"I try to teach campers and others to do three things: drown, stir and feel the ashes before departing," Pitman said. "Warm to the feel, not hot, is the test. Those three tests are invaluable and should be memorized by all."

She pointed out that so far this year all of our wildland fires in this area have been caused by humans.

"That simply means not by lightning or nature, but by humans being careless."

As of Friday, July 25, all areas except in designated camps "are closed to any and all campfires. Smoking is restricted to an enclosed vehicle or building or in boats on lakes," according to a bulletin issued by the Central Oregon Fire Management Services.

A carelessly tossed cigarette butt four weeks ago caused a small fire in Tollgate that was spotted by the Black Butte lookout and quickly extinguished by local fire companies.

"It was a close call," said one of the residents.

"Three conditions contribute to fire behavior," Pitman said. "Weather, fuel and topography."

They continually monitor the atmosphere.

"That's how broad this job is," she said.

The recent heat wave and the drought conditions in Central Oregon makes the situation here extremely dangerous.

"It'll be that way until we get a good, soaking rain or snowfall," Pitman said.

Pitman received part of her training at COCC taking a course in Wildland Fire Science. She is working on her Bachelor of Science degree from the Oregon State University extension program in Bend, majoring in Natural Resource Management.

"When I was 18, one of my professors at COCC recommended that I take a job on an engine with the Forest Service and that was the beginning of this career," she said.

She has been on the front-line physically fighting fires or behind a desk arranging for educational and prevention resources and making speaking engagements since 1988.

"My job is to protect life and property as a fire fighter. My duties include prevention by explaining the dangers caused by the proximity of fuels and the volatility of fuels. This is one reason why we need a comfortable safe area around homes," she said.

"Defensible space, we call it."

Last weekend, August 1-3, Pitman was holding forth at the Deschutes County Fair where her booth on fire prevention had four "stations": spark arrestors, campfire etiquette, defensible space and Smokey Bear.

She is concerned about those removing spark arrestors trying to increase the power of their chain saws and other gasoline driven equipment.

"Removing the spark arrestor is very dangerous," she said. "A single spark in the wrong place at the wrong time can cause a conflagration."

She said that she is always learning.

"Every day brings something new. This job is challenging, adventuresome and very humbling," said Pitman. "I'm continually learning about and trying to understand nature. It's a powerful lesson."