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The Conversation

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Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

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The Conversation: Women fighting wildfires

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Firefighters Olga Serova and Justine Gude

10/05/2021 GMT

Women fighting wildfires

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Women fighting wildfires

A Russian volunteer and an elite US firefighter on the challenge of tackling remote fires

Olga Serova volunteers on wildfire crews in Russia. Justine Gude works for a Hotshot Crew in the US. They tell Kim Chakanetsa about the need to be calm, quick-thinking and hardy.

Large scale wildfires have increasingly made headlines in recent years. Fires have devastated areas of California, Australia, Siberia and the Pantanal that used to be relatively unaffected. We speak to two women helping stop the spread of wildland fires, protecting precious ecosystems, national parks and people's homes.

Being a professional fire fighter is out of the question for Olga Serova who lives in Russia, where women are not allowed to join the profession. However, Olga volunteers with teams that battle wildfires in the national parks outside Moscow and St Petersburg. She tells us why she does it and how people react.   

Justine Gude is a Texas Canyon Hotshot in the Los Angeles National Forest. She's one of a team of elite small crews of wildfire fighters – there are about 100 crews in America – who have been trained to deal with fires in remote regions where little logistical support is available. She was one of a team of volunteer experts who flew to Australia to help out firefighting efforts in Melbourne in 2020.

Produced by Jane Thurlow
 
IMAGE DETAILS
L: Olga Serova [credit Maria Vasilieva]
R: Justine Gude [credit Santos Gonzalez]

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