Fighting wildfires

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2022

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Parts of the world, such as Europe, have experienced record temperatures and, amid the heat, wildfires are burning. In the United States, there are several fires across large parts of the country. We bring together three specialist wildland firefighters to share what it’s like to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Whitney Lindsay, in Texas, became a firefighter four years ago as part of a special program involving military veterans. Jonathon Golden in Utah retired in 2019 after firefighting for 12 years. Chris Ashby in Oregon is both a firefighter and a crew boss. They discuss with host James Reynolds the impact of climate change, the rewards and the strains of the profession.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I want to jump up and down and dance and scream.
0:04.8	This is a dream come true.
0:07.2	I have four wonderful words for you.
0:10.1	Podcast of the Year.
0:12.7	I'm Namilanta Kombo and yes, my show has won top prize in the British Podcast Awards.
0:19.7	Dear daughter is podcast of the year 2022.
0:25.3	So if you aren't already a regular dear daughter listener and want to know more about what
0:30.4	all the fuss is about, you know what to do.
0:33.8	Search for dear daughter from the BBC World Service wherever you found this podcast.
0:39.2	The whole of season one is available to binge now.
0:42.3	Go on, listen to the podcast of the year.
0:46.4	Hello, I'm James Reynolds on the BBC World Service and this is BBC Earth Conversations
0:54.9	on Wildfires.
0:55.9	The combination of heat waves and drought and contributing to a number of serious wildfires
1:06.1	around the world in one of our conversations, firefighters in the United States discuss
1:10.8	their work and its emotional toll.
1:13.6	I think one of the parts that can be difficult as a firefighter is feeling like you're able
1:18.6	to absorb all this stress and you're able to sort and navigate your home life for a period
1:22.8	of time.
1:23.8	When it hits hard, it hits hard.
1:25.8	I have experienced some mental health struggles.
1:31.2	It's not just in North America where wildfires are causing havoc of course.
	...

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