North Bay Woman

32 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 Clockwise from top, left to right; Captain Scott Bristow, Jessie Taintor, Engineer Jeff Petersen, and Firefighter Mason Moore – Photo provided by Jessie Taintor; Nicole Scott and children. – Photo provided by Novato Fire District; Danae Wallander working with a crew. – Photo provided by Danae Wallander; A nighttime photo of hoses behind a fire truck. – Photo provided by Jessie Taintor identifying that goal and moving forward until you achieve and complete your goal." With some 10 years in the fire service behind her, Taintor was not fearful for her own life during the Sonoma fires, largely be- cause she's had to develop coping mechanisms which allow her to maintain calm and focus. "Emotional reactions don't really occur while we're on the job, as once a situation has been discussed with our crew, we shift into the next gear and get on with it — it's all we can do. We are the people everyone expects can get it to stop and get the situation figured out." A relatively new seasonal firefighter with the Marin County Fire Department, last October Danae Wellander was sent with a team to manage the Highway 37/Lakeville fires. The 32-year-old was on that fire for five days before being sent to Lake County where she worked for close to three weeks covering stations for Cal Fire engines that were fighting fires in Santa Rosa. "It was a weird scenario especially being from Santa Rosa, both my brothers had been evacuated and I badly wanted to be part of the fires that were in my hometown but it's just part of the job — sometimes you get assignments that take you elsewhere." The Sonoma fires reinforced for Wellander just how the job takes its pound of flesh, from the fitness requirement to the mental intensity. "On wildfires, some nights you end up sleeping on the ground or in the engine waiting for a fire to be entirely out, that may be after you have hiked in to a rural site with very heavy equip- ment," Wellander says. "I don't think you ever become physical- ly or emotionally complacent in the job but staying fit and being ready for anything is what drew me in." n

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