Podcasts

Season 8 | Wildland Firefighting Professionals | Episode 3

#124 | Fire knows no boundaries, so we’re all on the same team

August 28, 2019 | Robyn Broyles

Robyn Broyles is the National Fire Communication and Education Specialist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, and she is a tribal member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In Robyn’s role, she promotes the accomplishments in wildland fire management and aviation programs in “Indian Country.” In addition to her wildland fire qualifications, Robyn holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in fire ecology from the University of Idaho.  She also represents BIA as a member of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group for public information officers to develop training standards for the interagency fire community.  Find out more about Robyn’s journey, her role with the BIA, and her advice for others on this week’s episode!

Key Takeaways:

[1:10] A message from Leadership Nature.

[1:50] A quick intro about Robyn’s background.

[3:40] Robyn shares what she does for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

[8:15] Robyn gives an insightful overview of what the fire management team does.

[12:05] Everything is tightly woven together. You can’t have fire management without timber management, and you can’t have timber management without vegetation management.

[16:20] Has Robyn moved around a lot due to her job?

[20:00] Robyn had to overcome her fear of heights during training.

[24:55] What is the wildland fire community like?

[27:45] How can someone get started in wildland fire?

[31:15] Robyn shares how you can get experience in this field. You don’t have to start from the bottom. The fire community is always looking for mid-level experience!

[34:25] What kinds of challenges has Robyn faced so far in her career?

[38:15] What’s it like being part of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)?

[41:45] Robyn shares the kinds of mentors she’s had over the years who have made an impact on her.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Learn more about the BIA here

Find out about jobs with the BIA here

Learn about all types of government jobs in firefighting here

Read about the National Wildfire Coordinating Group here