Sometimes, it’s amazing where a simple conversation can lead.
It happened at a TREX – a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange –event in North Carolina in 2015. The organization was formed in 2008 by Jeremy Bailey in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy and provides focused wildland training while performing prescribed burns in a 12–14-day retreat format.
A couple of women who were attending the 2015 training got to talking. One said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do this as a women-centered event?” They reached out to Lenya Quinn-Davidson, who works for the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources Division, and who was one of the only women hosting TREX events at that time. Quinn-Davidson suggested repurposing an upcoming TREX event in 2016 that she was planning in California to pilot the idea.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Quinn-Davidson. “I thought it would be like a TREX event that just had more women. But it ended up being much more powerful than that. It was transformative for the people who were there, for the team, and for those of us who put it on. It was kind of mind blowing how amazing it was – how much camaraderie and connection there was. We said, ‘We have to keep doing this.’”
Since then, the new consortium, known as WTREX, has provided training opportunities for women and men across the United States and around the world. Like TREX, WTREX events are two weeks and provide on-site training in live fire, strategy and tactics, tool use, leadership and more.
But WTREX goes further, covering topics that specifically affect women, such as combining firefighting with motherhood and dealing with the frequent isolation of being one of very few women on a crew. A mental health professional is part of the training team.
All TREX and WTREX events are open equally to men and women and according to Quinn-Davidson; men have participated in all WTREX events. Although WTREX is focused on women’s perspectives, Quinn-Davidson said the training crosses gender lines: “Men also experience issues of acceptance and identity. We see the allyship part as being very important.”
Taking WTREX international
WTREX now has an international presence and that is where they are seeing the “most growth and excitement,” Quinn-Davidson said. “I can barely keep up with the international demand for this program.”
The first international event was held in South Africa, followed by events in Canada and Portugal. A Spanish-language WTREX event is scheduled for Jalisco, Mexico, in November, and program planning is underway for events in Australia and Germany.
The training model for WTREX is one of networking and relationships, which the organization depends on for growth. For example, a woman who participated in a WTREX event in Virginia committed to bringing the program to South Africa. During that event, a different woman was moved to lead the effort to bring one to Mexico.
A selective application process
WTREX has always had more applicants than it can accommodate, and Quinn-Davidson admits that choosing participants is “the hardest thing we do.” Participants are purposefully chosen to represent different experience and certification levels so all can be both teachers and students during the two-week retreat. Everyone must meet minimum standards to gain admission, which includes completing the physical pack test (carrying a 45-pound pack for three miles in 45 minutes or less) and achieving certification in basic wildland course work, which can be done online.
WTREX participants are also responsible for their own travel and registration fees, as well as providing personal PPE, although these costs may be supported by a sponsoring agency. WTREX covers the cost of lodging, food and instruction for the two-week period. There is also some scholarship money available for those who cannot afford the cost of attending.
Not everyone who attends a WTREX or TREX event is a fire professional. The training model is designed to include a wide diversity of participants.
“The way that the TREX events are structured is to be open to people who don’t work for fire management agencies,” Quinn-Davidson said. “At any given TREX event, you would have some forest service people, maybe some other federal and state agency people. But then you’d also have some university students, and maybe some people from nonprofit organizations, people from tribes and international participants. It’s unique to have all those people from different walks of life working together and training together. When TREX began, you weren’t seeing that anywhere else.”
WTREX: A transformative experience
Quinn-Davidson is excited about the future of WTREX. With continuing support from the Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, WTREX is committed to providing live burn training and related instructions as well as personal support and mentorship to a wide range of participants, she explained.
WTREX provides an opportunity for transformative change for those who participate – more than one alumna has said the event “changed the trajectory” of their life, Quinn-Davidson said. This is largely the result of the deep focus on mentoring and relationship-building among diverse participants, as well as the opportunity to both lead and follow in a safe and supportive environment.
“We see a lot of people go home from these events and make some kind of change in their lives, both professionally and personally,” Quinn-Davidson said. “We see people building long-term friendships and relationships.”
Creating a space for collaboration where everyone is both teaching and learning is a unique model and one that is working well to serve future generations of wildland firefighters.
