Women on Fire

PHOTO BY KARI GREER

To date, 49,000 wildfires have burned over six million acres across the nation this year. Right now, 14 large fires are burning in Idaho. Allison Lund has fire in her blood and is fighting flames somewhere in our forests right now. A former Boise Hotshot, she is the daughter of Beth Lund, one the first female hotshots and Type 1 Incident Commanders. Male or female — the work is physically demanding, death-defying and everyone has to have everyone else’s back. Approximately 20% of the U.S. wildland and firefighting force is female, but a gender wage gap still exists with women making 83 cents to every dollar earned by men. The Lunds are the definition of trailblazing.

PHOTO BY KARI GREER