- Morgan County honored fire crews for their wildfire prevention and control efforts.
- Fire Chief Boyd Carrigan and others organized a barbecue to thank the hardworking crews.
- Wildfire specialist Mike Swinsick emphasized the importance of community support and gratitude.
MORGAN — Boyd Carrigan is the Morgan fire chief, leading battles against house fires and car accidents, but for more than 20 years, he was a fire county warden, charged with fighting wildland fires wherever they arose.
After doing this work for years, he realized two things: 1) Fighting wildfires is incredibly difficult and tiring work, and 2) every once in a while, it would be really, really nice to be thanked for doing this work of keeping communities safe.
Recently, there have been fire crews working in Morgan County, clearing vegetation and creating safe passages for fire crews to exit a burning location. It did not take long for Carrigan to share what he wanted to do for these crew members: organize a celebration to thank them for everything they do to keep communities as safe as possible.
"The biggest reason I wanted to do this: for you. This never happens, right?" Carrigan told the fire crews at Wednesday afternoon's celebration. "I've lived what you're doing. I know what you're doing. What you're doing for this community is amazing. The community really appreciates it."
Carrigan, with the help of others in the community, held a late lunch barbecue at Morgan Fire Station 121. Between 50-60 crew members came down to eat hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as sit with the people who know what it means to do this work.
They also listened to residents — led by Carrigan — thank them for all that they do.
Close to a month ago, some Morgan County communities could see the smoke from the fire in Norwood Canyon. Despite the strong winds and harsh terrain of the canyon, the fire was 100% contained by the next day, according to community members.
Crews working on prevention were able to get to the fire and do what they do best: get things under control. The fire burned a total of 50 acres, but community leaders and members know that without people here to control the fires, things could have been a lot worse.
So, they had to thank these men and women, especially given the truth ... the conditions are ripe for more fires, wildfire specialists said.
"It's pretty dry ... and continues to get drier," said Mike Swinsick, the Wildland Urban Interface specialist for the Wasatch Front region. His work focuses on limiting wildfires where vegetation is close to homes and other structures. "Risk is going to be greater for a start. It won't take much for a start to occur out there, so folks need to pay attention to what they're doing with campfires."
Swinsick was present at the celebration and wanted to thank others for their work, especially the wildfire prevention work. That work is also difficult given that crew members are often in the hot sun, "eating dirt," using chainsaws and "hauling brush from point A to point to point B," Swinsick said.
Given the nature of the work, Swinsick thinks celebrations like the one in Morgan are not only a way for the community to say "thank you," but also for crew members to relax with each other and get to know one another.
"It gets the camaraderie deepened between the crews," he said. "Every little bit we can do from the communities, the better received it will be. So we're here to celebrate."
The fire crews working in Morgan are funded by the state and, as such, can travel wherever there is a fire anywhere in Utah. Some crew members are paid for their work, but many are volunteers, donating their time when they can.
It is the background of each crew member and the importance of giving to others that has many, including Swinsick, educating community members on how to say "thank you." Swinsick encourages people to talk to the fire chief or battalion chief in their community and ask them what they need. It may be bottled water or food or ice cream. These men and women who fight fires — whether in a city home or moving down a steep canyon — are not going to ask for much.
The gesture of gratitude goes a long way, celebration attendees said.
"They're like unsung heroes," Carrigan said. "They're out there working all the time in the hot sun. We have to thank them for what they're doing."
