Women’s History Month Spotlight: Wildland Firefighter Jess Hamner
For U.S. Forest Service squad boss Jess Hamner, wildfire isn’t just a job, it’s a way of connecting to the land and the people around her. Now in her fifth season on a Type 2IA hand crew in Utah, Jess says what she loves most about fire is the chance to travel to places few people ever see, build deep relationships with her crew, and feel rooted in the landscapes she helps protect. “When you live with 23 people on a truck for a summer,” she says, “that’s family.”
Jess also believes women bring critical strengths to the fireline. She describes being a woman in fire as empowering and says crews often function better when women are part of the team. “Women perform really well in endurance environments and tend to stay level-headed,” she explains. “When women are on a crew, it can shift the dynamic away from machismo and toward a healthier team culture.”
Like many women in the field, Jess has also faced serious challenges including reporting sexual harassment during her first season and not getting adequate support. While that experience pushed her to leave one crew, she returned to fire and found mentors and colleagues who actively champion women in the profession. Some women in fire that she looks up to like Jamie, Shannon and Sophie, have helped her to find a loving network of support, grow in her leadership, create sustainable boundaries, and expand how to speak her truth with confidence.
As an LGBTQIA+ firefighter, she’s also navigating the complex dynamics of identity in a traditionally male-dominated field, while helping create space for others coming up behind her. “It was a disservice to the whole agency when the DEI programs were pulled and we no longer had spaces for women in fire to connect,” she says. “Subtle policy changes are resulting in LGBTQIA+ employees feeling more vulnerable.” Jess invites any LGBTQIA+ firefighters looking for a supportive community to follow her new queer in fire page on Instagram @keep.flaming for updates and online support.
Jess is a graduate of the FUSEE Firefighter Wellness Retreat, where she says she learned tools that help her stay grounded in a demanding career. “The retreat helped me build touchstones in my routine and remember to protect the softer parts of myself,” she says. That perspective now fuels her motivation to mentor younger firefighters and help shift the culture of the profession. Her advice to young women considering the job: you don’t have to overperform to earn respect, find community, trust yourself, and surround yourself with people who lift you up.