Sierra Springs Forest Service Fire Station
Fresh out of high school, Pollock Pines resident Kaleena fell in love with Mt. Shasta during a road trip. After speaking to locals in the area, she learned that most residents were firefighters with the Forest Service. As fate would have it, a firefighter sporting a Mt. Shasta Forest Service T-shirt walked into the supermarket she was working at not long after her trip. After speaking to the man about it, he gave Kaleena his captain’s contact information. This was the first step of her firefighting journey. “I didn’t really fully understand what I was signing up for at the time, but by my second season, I was hooked,” she says.

Kaleena has worked within all of El Dorado National Forest’s districts during her 17 years as a firefighter. Today, she is with Sierra Springs Forest Service Fire Station. The relationships she builds through her work, both with fellow firefighters and the communities she serves, are the most rewarding part of the job for her. “We develop an unmatched bond going through the kind of experiences we’ve had together,” Kaleena says of her teammates. Making a positive impact on people through the worst experiences of their lives is “a connection like none other.”

Most memorable or emotional experience?
Fighting the Caldor Fire starting night one. The exhaustion, grief for our communities, sadness for all the loss, appreciation (as everyone had a part in helping during the evacuations), and pride in our success created months of an emotional roller coaster—probably for us all.

Words of wisdom for someone interested in becoming a firefighter?
I think many people outside the fire service don’t understand the differences in what all the firefighting agencies do. We all fight fire, yes, but each agency provides more exposure to different things. Local government departments respond to more medical calls and stay primarily in their local community, state firefighters do a mix of medical and wildland and stay within the state they work out of, and federal firefighting forestry technicians get a lot of wildland fire experience and are sent anywhere in the U.S. (and sometimes to other countries). We all are trained for and respond to much more than just those things, but before someone makes a choice of which fire avenue to go down, figure out what sounds most enjoyable.

Top fire safety or fire prevention tip?
I ask everyone who loves recreating in our forest to take their activities and their possible impacts more seriously. Target shooting, hunting, hauling a trailer to do some ATV/OHV riding, cutting firewood, and camping are all things we enjoy, but every one of those has the potential to start a fire, even if the action is unintentional. If there’s a spark, there could be fire. One less spark, one less wildfire. So please observe and grid your area after shooting, check trailers and chains before driving, make sure spark arrestors are in place and operational, never leave your campfires unattended and before leaving, drown and stir your campfires until everything is cold to the touch.

Eldorado Hotshots
As a child, Cameron Park resident Armando wanted to follow in his family’s construction industry footsteps. Then fate intervened, he says. “Becoming a firefighter happened by chance, or by bad decisions, at a young age, depending on how you look at it,” says Armando. “I got in trouble as a teenager and got sent to fire camp.” He fought his first fires there, and a new life path was, literally, ignited.

Once Armando was home, he chose to pursue firefighting in community college and then landed a spot in the Forest Service. Today, he serves as squad boss in the Eldorado Hotshots—a crew of elite firefighters trained to fight wildland fires and respond to other emergencies nationwide—and has worked 17 seasons. What sticks with him the most from his many years of serving? “When one of my fellow firefighters gets hurt, or worse, passes away,” Armando says. “That never leaves any of us.”

Best part of the job?
Saving someone's home or livelihood (farms, livestock, etc.) is at the top of the list, especially doing it without knowing who they are. I recently received a few "thank yous" via social media from families who were affected by the Caldor Fire. It's one of the best feelings in the world. And just recently, I saw a few people reach out and express their gratitude for the recent work we did in the state of New Mexico.

Most memorable or emotional experience?
When we finish a hard assignment and we're haggard, beat down from the intense, long shifts and grueling hikes, and then at day’s end, to see all of us smiling and enjoying the fact that we accomplished something together that few would even attempt—those memories never get forgotten.

Words of wisdom for someone interested in becoming a firefighter?
Love what you do but don’t let it overwhelm you nor let it cause strain in your family life. Find balance.

Diamond Springs El Dorado Fire Protection District
Danek knew late into elementary school that he wanted to be a firefighter and give back to a community that had done so much to help his family after immigrating from Ukraine. Thankfully, he had two firefighter friends to show him the steps he needed to take. So, straight out of high school, he began volunteering with Newcastle Fire Protection District and started the Sierra College Regional Fire Academy shortly after. Following a nine-month season with the Cal Fire Amador Eldorado Unit and post-graduation, Danek accepted his current position.

Today, Danek has fulfilled his childhood goal of giving back to his community. “One of the most rewarding things about my job is being able to do something for someone at a time in their life when there aren't many other people they can count on. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunities that come my way each day in my role. Giving back to the community in such a way is overwhelmingly rewarding.”

Most memorable or emotional experience?
The ones I remember most are the ones where an individual was either lifeless or involved in a serious accident and later having them come by the station. Knowing that we successfully did everything we could to help this individual are the calls we don't ever forget.

Words of wisdom for someone interested in becoming a firefighter?
Buckle up, put your head down, and get ready to be a sponge. This career is competitive; however, if you don't give up and give it all you got, it’s one of the best and most rewarding jobs in the world.

Top fire safety or fire prevention tip?
Many families we come across have never thought about an escape route or meet-up location during a fire. Smoke and fire spread quickly—many times quicker than you'd imagine. Have a game plan ready for you and your family, and make sure you check your smoke and CO2 detectors.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District
Jeremy’s father was a firefighter—something he counts as a privilege. Still, it wasn’t until high school that he realized how great the job would be for him. “I grew up playing team sports and deeply valued the camaraderie. Joining the Fire Service immediately after graduating high school was an obvious choice for me, and I never looked back!” After being a volunteer firefighter and taking EMT classes at a community college, he went on to become a seasonal firefighter and enrolled in paramedic school. After getting licensed as a paramedic, he joined the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and has been with them for the last 18 years.

For Jeremy, teamwork, and helping those in need make firefighting rewarding. “Whether it’s saving a life or simply helping an elderly citizen off the floor, your actions do make a difference in people’s lives. When our crew works seamlessly alongside one another, it makes the accomplishment of any effort very rewarding.”

Most memorable or emotional experience?
“Kid calls” are the hardest and most emotional. We see and must mitigate a lot of hard and terrible things, but to see a helpless and innocent child suffering is hard. Those emotions are compounded when the parent is there and reacting to their child’s emergency. This is hard on all of us, especially those of us who are parents, too. We must emotionally detach ourselves from every emergency to effectively do our jobs, but those calls are challenging.

Words of wisdom for someone interested in becoming a firefighter?
It’s a great job, a rewarding career, and gives you the opportunity to work with some tremendous men and women. I can’t overemphasize the importance of taking care of yourselves, mentally and physically, though. This job can take a toll on you, but is manageable with good sleeping habits at home, diet and exercise, and good coping strategies for stress.

Top fire safety or fire prevention tip?
The Fourth of July continues to be a crazy holiday for us. A lot of people don’t use safe and sane fireworks; mixed with overconsumption of alcohol, we see a lot of fires and injuries. Please celebrate with family and friends but do so smartly and safely.