USU Eastern Student Finds New Perspective While Fighting Summer Wildfires

PRICE, Utah — The 2026 wildfire season was one of the worst on record in the state of Utah. Hundreds of firefighters from across the state and from other locations put their lives on the line to battle these blazes.

One of those people was Utah State University Eastern student Alison Kennedy. Kennedy, a wildland ecology and management major, spent four months working as a firefighter type 2. Kennedy said that as a student, she is used to thinking about the environment in terms of the species that live there and how ecosystems function. But being a part of the wildfire response spoke to her through a different lens.

“Seeing fire firsthand made me think about the landscape in a different way,” she said. “Fire can be destructive, but it's also a natural ecological process that shapes many ecosystems. Watching it through the night gave me a sense of just how powerful that process is and how nature continues to change and recover.”

Kennedy originally had no aspirations on becoming a firefighter but learned that USU offered a wildland firefighting course. She enrolled in the course in the fall 2025 semester, and it introduced her to the profession and helped her pursue this opportunity. With weeks of training prior to the assignment, she saw just how rewarding and challenging it could be.

“I wanted to try something different, challenge myself, and gain experience working on public lands,” Kennedy said. “There were definitely fun and rewarding moments, especially when we were out of the station and actively working. At the same time, spending weeks waiting for a start or assignment could be difficult. It gave me a more realistic understanding of what the job entails beyond the parts people typically see.”

Kennedy said she left the experience with a much greater appreciation for the less visible challenges of the profession, such as the toll it takes on the people who fight fires for a living. She believes that the long-term wellbeing of firefighters deserves more attention.

The experience also helped Kennedy have an even greater reverence for how interconnected wildlife, vegetation, land management, and fire really are.

“I'm learning to consider how they all influence one another, rather than looking at these things separately,” she said. “I think that broader perspective will be valuable as I continue my education and pursue a career working with wildlife, fire, and public lands.”

Kennedy said the summer gave her a new way of looking at the environment and a better appreciation for the complexity of land management. She believes the experience will help her become a more well-rounded wildlife professional and make more informed decisions as she continues working in the field.

Located in picturesque Price, Utah State University Eastern provides the best of both worlds for students ­— the personalized attention and small student-to-faculty ratio of a small-town college, with the educational opportunities and resources of a large university. USU Eastern boasts student government opportunities, clubs and programs like theater, choir, and the award-winning student newspaper “The Eagle”, as well as its own athletic program. USU Eastern provides personal or professional development training, technical education in Health Professions, Technical Careers and Business, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and certificates of proficiency. Learn more at eastern.usu.edu.