RECOLLECTIONS

By J.B. Jennings
I first heard about the chance to fight fire in the "wild west" when I was in high school and serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Jacksonville VFD. I took the necessary training and passed the physical endurance test, which qualified me to serve on federal wildland fire incidents as evidenced by my possession of a "red card" - my ticket to swing a Pulaski.

My first opportunity to participate on Maryland's Interagency Wildland Fire Crew was several years later when I was attending college. I went to Montana and spent two weeks doing physically demanding but personally very rewarding work, building fireline, operating pumps and handling water delivery as well as using fire to fight fire in a technique known as backfiring or "burning out."

While the work was gratifying and the landscape spectacular to look at, it was the people on the crew that really made the assignment the tremendous experience it was. I got to meet folks from all across Maryland as well as some congressional staffers from Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Talking to these staffers really piqued my interest in government, and I later served as an intern on the Hill for then Congressman Ehrlich. When I returned from my adventures in the west, I took some of the money I made that summer and pursued my interest in general aviation by becoming a private pilot. So you see, that experience fighting wildfires in Montana really did set the stage for the life I lead today.

Maryland State Delegate J.B. Jennings...
is a member of the House Environmental Matters Committee and the Legislative Fire Caucus.