Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Cherokee Nation Firedancers pause for a brief moment during their 16 hour day of fighting fires in Oregon.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Cherokee Nation Firedancers recently returned from fighting one of the nation’s largest fires.

"What started as two different fires joined together to form one huge fire that ended up burning nearing 500,000 acres near Grants Pass, Oregon", said Leroy Wolf, Cherokee Nation compliance officer and firefighter coordinator. "President Bush even came out to survey the damage and in return all of the firefighters, including some of the Firedancers, signed a standard firefighter shirt that will be presented to the President in the next few months."

Jamison Hair, Cherokee Nation tribal member from Wickliffe, OK, served as the crew boss over the Oregon fire and was one of the firefighters to sign the shirt.

"J.D. Speaks, Matt Sapp, Kenneth Davis, Danny Marritt and myself all got to sign the shirt", said Hair. "I signed my name and underneath it I put my crew number, ‘Cherokee Crew 86.’"

As crew boss, Hair oversaw a crew of 18 members and was responsible for them the entire 14 days of the fire. "I made sure that all the information was given out to them and that orders were followed", Hair said.

"This job is never easy and can also be very dangerous", Hair said. "When we were in Oregon, one of my crew members stumbled upon 35 pounds of dynamite hidden in the ground. He stopped to have lunch and set his bag down and noticed that the ground sounded hollow. He moved away the moss from under his bag and saw a piece of plywood. Under the plywood was a hole with an ice chest in it, and in the ice chest was 35 pounds of dynamite wrapped in Wal-Mart sacks. The finding of this dynamite made the local news and newspapers, and our crew was soon nicknamed the 'Dynamite Crew'."

Since 1988 crews of Cherokee Nation Firedancers have provided a valuable service in the suppression of wildfires nationwide.

Finishing up their 14th season, the Cherokee Nation Firedancers have earned an outstanding reputation and the respect of all wild land fire management agencies throughout the United States, according to Wolf.

Comprised of 57 men and one woman, the Firedancers received six fire calls this year, which is considered a medium range year according to Wolf.

"We prepare the firefighters at the beginning of every year by scheduling testing and training", Wolf said. "We also coordinate fire crews once we receive a fire call, which comes from the U.S. Forest Service Dispatch Office in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Work depends on the fire season, whether is starts early or not. Right now all fires are out."

The Cherokee Nation will begin recruiting Firedancers after October 1. The U.S. Forest Service basis will pay Firedancers for their time on a contractual, on-call.

"I think that this firefighting program is a very good program for the Cherokee Nation", Wolf said. "It not only provides income for these firefighters but also gives them a sense of pride for the job they are providing and the service they are giving to the country. I can say that in my last two years as one of the firefighter coordinators that I have seen that these firefighters are dedicated to this program and to helping keep the U.S. safe from fires."