OCR Text |
Show AUGUST i UTAH THE MUSEUM MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS . 1580 EAST ee THE SOUTH CAMPUS MUSEUM coy STORE DRIVE . UNIVERSITY 1996 Fire Warden Blazes! It’s Lizzy Sharp OF UTAH . 581-7049 here is nothing like the excitement and adrenaline-rush of the initial attack on a wild fire, says Liz Sharp calmly over scrambled eggs and toast in a quiet corner of a Park City deli. STORE Known affectionately around Park UTAH MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS . 1580 EAST SOUTH Pe Ti: CAMPUS DRIVE . UNIVERSITY MUSEUM City as “Lizzy,” Summit County’s Fire Warden is all business when it comes to fighting wild fires. But it wasn’t always that way. A native of Carmel, California, Lizzy, like many young people, came to Park City in OF UTAH . 581-7049 STORE for Summit County. She packed her bags and came back to Utah. Now as Summit County’s, and per-" haps Utah's, first female fire warden, Lizzy oversees 2,000 square miles that include the Uinta Mountains. She does not have to get out on the line with shovel in hand. But she does anyway. The excitement and camaraderie draw her in. 1974 to do a little skiing. UTAH MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS . 1580 EAST SOUTH CAMPUS DRIVE . UNIVERSITY OF UTAH To support she worked . 581-7049 LET A LHP son did a little landscaping, as well. Looking to move on , after a number of years on the slopes, she went back to school to become a dental assistant. But it only took two months in the dentist office for her to real- For all your climbing needs, get hold of something solid WM Edelwiess MDMM @ La Sportiva @ Mammut @ Grivel @ Petz! @ Climb High Lowe Alpine Full selection of books and climbing guides BLUE WATER | ize it was a big mistake. LA SPORTIVA “And my dad paid for all that schooling,” she remembers with a twinge of guilt. Back to the drawing board and Carmel, circa LOWE/CAMP Figure 8 10.5mm x 165 foot standard $99.9 Repelling Device Climbing shoes hs last! 585 99 Reg. 109.99 5B 99 Reg. 14.99 942-3100 Wits Main Street WUEito Invites you to come browse through our vast array of hand crafted merchandise including ee e & * rl ‘ Located on Historic Main St. 427 Main St. © Park City, UT (801) 645-7193 The down fire depart- the street mew ground. She’s Utah’s first woman fire warden. Photo credit: Nan Chalat. call firefighter.” And before too long, Park City’s Fastest Finest, Quality Photofinishing she was on the line, fighting wild with pick and shovel and chain Unlike the job with the dentist, it fun and exciting and, not least, it outdoors. “The smoke, 523 Main Street fires saw. was was * One-hour Photo * Two-hour Slide Processing (E-6) * KODAK Create-A-Print™ * Black & White Processing * Custom Enlarging, Negatives or Slides * Portrait & Commercial Studio * Passport Photos * Unique Photo Frames & Accessories 649-6465 PAGE your blood, you’re hooked,” she says matter-of-factly. After several years with That, of course, comes after she coordinates the initial fire attack — one of her many responsibilities as fire warden. Among other things, the fire warden makes the determination whether to call in outside firefighters from the Interagency Fire command and whether to ‘make use of aircraft in fighting wildland blazes. When she isn’t fighting fires, Lizzy keeps busy teaching and training the seven or eight volunteer fire depart- ments in Summit County, doing hazard analysis in rural housing areas for fire prevention, and making other fire inspections. Although the summer fire season got off to a roar with a number of wild the heat, the hard work, the satisfaction. Once you've been out on a couple of fires, it’s in jewelry, clothing, wood carvings, bears, and much more! 1986. ment from her house was having a food drive for the homeless. “IT went down with a box of food,” she remembers. “I started talkin’ to the guys. One thing led to anther and I inquired about volunteering. I filled out an application...” And the rest, as they say, is history. Well, not quite. Back to school, again. This time Lizzy enrolled at Monterey Peninsula College for training as an EMT, as well as courses in fire science. Meanwhile, she got on as a “paid ee Park City’s Only Arts and Crafts Mall that habit, as a wait- ress and in the off-sea- the fires in western sections of Utah, Summit County remains green. The fire hazard remains moderate, for now. But, Lizzy explains, that could change. While recent rains have kept things green, they have also allowed California Department of Forestry and underbrush to grow. Fire friends in Park City. Out of curiosity, it will become fuel and kindling for fires. If and when a lightning strike she dropped by Job Service, where she found a listing for assistant fire warden or a Cigarette ready. @ 14 Protection, Lizzy was visiting ignite When it, it dries out, Lizzy will be |