Fighting Forest Fires: Linda Strader on Breaking Barriers in the U.S. Forest Service
Tell Me What It's Like · Stacy Raine
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Show Notes
When Linda Strader joined a US Forest Service fire crew in the 1970s, she didn’t know how rare it was for women to do that kind of work - she just wanted an interesting job. But she quickly realized she was stepping into a world that didn’t necessarily welcome her. In this episode, Linda shares what it was like to be one of the first women on a fire crew, the discrimination she faced, and why she loved the work enough to keep coming back for seven seasons.
"I wasn't trying to prove anything to them. I just wanted to be accepted as part of the crew. And working twice as hard, I had hoped, would mean that they would accept me."
Hear Linda talk about:
- What a fire crew actually does beyond just battling flames
- How she got the job with no idea women weren’t “allowed”
- The hostility she faced from many coworkers and supervisors
- The physical and emotional toll of working to prove herself again and again
- Why she loved the job regardless of the hardships
Mentioned in this episode:
- Learn more about Linda's work on her website
- Linda's memoir, Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage by Linda Strader
- U.S. Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- Read more information about the Federal Women’s Program
- Learn more about the Catalina Hotshots
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