Fighting Forest Fires: Linda Strader on Breaking Barriers

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Fighting Forest Fires: Linda Strader on Breaking Barriers

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About this listen

When Linda Strader joined a US Forest Service fire crew in the 1970s, she didn’t know how rare it was for women to do that kind of work - she just wanted an interesting job. But she quickly realized she was stepping into a world that didn’t necessarily welcome her. In this episode, Linda shares what it was like to be one of the first women on a fire crew, the discrimination she faced, and why she loved the work enough to keep coming back for seven seasons.

"I wasn't trying to prove anything to them. I just wanted to be accepted as part of the crew. And working twice as hard, I had hoped, would mean that they would accept me."

Hear Linda talk about:

What a fire crew actually does beyond just battling flames
How she got the job with no idea women weren’t “allowed”
The hostility she faced from many coworkers and supervisors
The physical and emotional toll of working to prove herself again and again
Why she loved the job regardless of the hardships

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn more about Linda's work on her website
Linda's memoir, Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage by Linda Strader
U.S. Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Read more information about the Federal Women’s Program
Learn more about the Catalina Hotshots

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