When Lindsay Figueroa was 4 years old, the dryer caught fire. She remembers standing outside and staring up at the big red truck that responded.
“It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen,” said Figueroa, now 31.
These days, the big red (and pale green) trucks still thrill Figueroa, a member of the West Valley Fire Department for six years. She’s among several hundred firefighters in Yakima County, some full time but most volunteers.
As the recently contained 275-square-mile Range 12 blaze vividly demonstrated, fire season is intensifying in Central Washington. Humidity has fallen and brisk winds are whipping routine missions into full-blown battles.
More than 100 Central Washington firefighters responded to the Range 12 fire even as chiefs near and far struggle, as always, to fill their volunteer ranks.
Female firefighters help fill that critical need. They represent a wide range of ages and come from numerous backgrounds, with some turning to firefighting later in life.