Sunday, November 25, 2018

The Wildland Firefighter Opening Doors for Women

Bequi Livingston found power and confidence in physical strength. Now she's teaching other women to do the same.


Bequi Livingston and the rest of the New Mexico–based Smokey Bear Hotshot crew were digging a trench through thick timber to deter the wildfire that was raging within earshot. It was 1988, and they had been dispatched to fight the Yellowstone Fires that were engulfing much of the national park. A crew member on watch alerted the hotshots that the fire was headed directly for their camp. Livingston, who stood four-foot-ten and 98 pounds, hoisted her pack—which was more than half her size—and ran. Moments later, the meadow where they had set up camp burst into flames.