On July 9, I joined a crew of 20 firefighters from across the state of Georgia mobilizing for a hand-crew assignment to the Taylor Hollow fire in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest. It was my first out-of-state assignment after completing several online courses, in-person RT-130 training (annual safety training covering fire shelters, decision making, hazard reviews), and an arduous pack test for physical preparedness.

The crew spent two weeks putting in three miles of hand-lines around the fire, monitoring the line, conducting mop-up operations, and rehabbing fire-breaks. The days were long, and the steep rocky Appalachian terrain were a far cry from South Georgia. Luckily, the fire intensity was not particularly extreme, so our efforts made a big difference in containing the fire.

We got the opportunity to work alongside crews from Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Oregon, plus a variety of single-resources from around the Southeast, including some folks from the Chattahoochee National Forest back home. It was a great opportunity for some of our more experienced firefighters to gain leadership experience, and a chance for some of the newer firefighters to learn about how to fight fire in the mountains, and how to navigate the incident response system.

Eventually the fire was contained at approximately 80-100 acres. It was an honor to help Virginia when many of their resources were deployed elsewhere, and to protect a beautiful piece of public land.

Guest Blog by: David Long – GFC Urban Forestry Specialist