Please Note wrote:•My father works for Greyback and I am using parts of this experience to create this character. I did not see that someone above named their character Wildfire until after I had come up with the idea for Boone's summertime experiences!<3
• This character is NOT based on my dad outside of the occupation lol
• The smoke settling in the valley and the "hot snow" was also a personal experience of mine.
When you hear the word "Summer" you probably think of the fun times that many kalons experience at beaches with friends, sleeping in until late hours of the day, or the ice cream trucks that children flock to. Something else that comes with Summer, is heat. However, for most, it is an escapable heat. It is not an all-engulfing, smothering, choking heat. For Boone, that is what he thinks of when he hears the word "Summer". This is because Boone works for Greyback Forestry, located in Oregon. This company puts out Wildfires and performs controlled burns to prevent future wildfires. His family has never had very much money, and the work that he does in the Summer helps to carry his family, and himself, through the Summer season and then slightly beyond.
Boone puts up with extremely harsh conditions, and extremely demanding hours, in order to support the people that he cares about. The hours are not easily determined, as wildfires do not have schedules that dictate when they start-- they just do. Over the years, Boone has received very excessive training. Wildfire forestry is not for the faint of heart, and especially not for the physically weak. To be honest, it isn't even for the physically average, no. For this job, you have to be strong spirited, strong-willed, and really just overall strong.
When Boone gets the first call of the Summer, it is always very hard on him and his family. They all know that he could be gone from anywhere between a few days to a few months. When Boone gets a call, he has to go in to the company headquarters almost immediately. He packs a duffel bag with his toothbrush, work clothes, snacks for the road, and anything else he may need for however long he will be gone. He says a quick "Goodbye" to his family, and he sets off for work.
Once he arrives, his team goes over their plan to put out the fire. They load a big rig up with their team's equipment, and they hit the road. During summertime, there are many fires. This is often because the heat can cause dry lightning, and wood that hasn't seen water for months will spark up almost instantly, or a cigarette left behind goes unnoticed until it burns out of control. Boone's job is to wear heavy work boots (with traction spikes), thick clothes, a heavy backpack (filled eith drinking water), and a helmet to put out really big fires.
During one Summer, the fires got so bad that all the smoke landed in the valleys, and couldn't escape. The air level became hazardous, calling for medical masks and staying indooors. The smoke kept people from being able to see three feet in front of them, so driving was difficult. Every part of your being smelt like campfire, and sometimes, because there was so much of it, the ash falling from the sky resembled what can only be described as hot snow.
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