Wildfires
US firefighters discuss one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
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鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 think one of the parts that can be difficult as a firefighter is feeling like you鈥檙e able to absorb all this stress and to navigate your home life for a period of time,鈥 says Chris. 鈥淏ut when it hits hard it hits hard and I experienced some mental health struggles a few years back. Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask for help.鈥
Unfortunately, for one of our guests, firefighters were not able to reach her home and business in Portugal. Sonia owns Clube Equestre A Palmeirinha, a horse riding school in the Algarve. That was lost to the flames but she saved all of her animals. We introduce her to Sabrina, who is currently in Oakhurst, Mariposa County, in California. The wildfire there is the largest in the state this year.
(Photo: Whitney Lindsay and her colleagues. Credit: Whitney Lindsay)
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- Sat 30 Jul 2022 08:06GMT91热爆 World Service except East Asia, Europe and the Middle East & South Asia
- Sat 30 Jul 2022 23:06GMT91热爆 World Service except East Asia & South Asia
- Sun 31 Jul 2022 00:06GMT91热爆 World Service South Asia & East Asia only