Jenae Lewallen's first call as a wildland firefighter was not as exciting as she thought it would be.

"I thought we'd get in the [truck] and it'd be this big rush," she said. "Me being me, I'm like, 'Let's go.'"

Jenae was dressed in her fluorescent yellow gear, topped with a hard hat. Her crew of two other firefighters arrived at the scene.

"When we got there it was just this big black dot in the middle of this big forest and there were little hot spots, nothing too crazy," she said. "I was like, 'Is this it?' and they were like, 'Yep, this is like 90 percent of the work,' and I was like, 'Oh.'"

Despite the anticlimactic nature, she was hooked.

This summer was Lewallen's first time doing wildland firefighting. She worked on a crew of three based in Deary, Idaho – all while balancing her responsibilities as a member of the Idaho women's basketball team and a college degree.
 

"We had an engine captain, another firefighter and me," she said. "Our district runs from the bottom of Lewiston to almost Coeur d'Alene. Basically, any call we got we would go."

When there were no fires in the district, Jenae and her crew would go out on assignment.

"Assignment is a two-week role," she said. "You go, you don't really get to shower that much and you're just stuck in the truck. You stay out on site for two weeks, unless they don't need you anymore, then they'll send you back."

On her first two-week assignment, Jenae and her crew lived on Meal, Ready to Eat, or MREs, an individual meal typically used in the military.

"We ate those for three days straight and then we ran out," she said. "We finished putting the fire out in two and a half days and then we came back and it was like, 'Wow, I can shower.'"

Jenae said the longest work day was over 15 hours.

"[It's] hard work, digging line, watching the fire," she said.

While her first call wasn't what she expected, the biggest letdowns are false alarms. Her crew was sent out one day, and she thought, this was going to be the time she would finally fight a real fire.

"We get about halfway there and then they're like, 'Oh, we got it put out. No one else needs to respond,'" she said. "We turned back around but I was so excited and we were looking at the maps and then they sent us back. I had like three or four of those this year."

Jenae originally wanted to be a structure firefighter – someone who fights fires in a city setting.

"I realized I don't like seeing so many dead bodies and so many injuries, so I decided to try wildland," she said.

Jenae completed a program in high school that allowed her to experience structure firefighting for six months.

"I liked the wildland so much more than I liked structure," she said. "I love the thrill and adventure of seeing a fire, running after it and being able to catch and put it out."

Lewallen was 7 years old when she knew she wanted to help people.

"I saw a story on the news of a little boy drowning," she said.

He was struggling to keep himself afloat.

"I saw the city fire department go out and save him and I was like, 'I want to do that. I want to be someone who helps people when they're in need,'" she said.

Jenae loves the adrenaline rush of wildland fire too.

"I really like helping people," she said. "But fighting [wildfires] gives me more of an adrenaline rush and gets me excited."

Her mother, Laurie, is supportive– but understandably concerned. During two week assignments, Jenae often loses cell reception.

"I didn't call her for three days and she freaked out," Jenae said. "She was asking my family the entire time, 'Have you guys heard from Jenae?' She's a worried mom and that's how moms are going to be."

Jenae said her father, Roy, is excited about her career choice.

"He's just excited. Not a lot of people have that motivation and that drive to do something like this."

Jenae grew up in Sunrise, Ariz., swimming, playing soccer and basketball, but chose to pursue basketball because of Roy.

"He's my rock. He pushed me to do things that were difficult for me," she said. "Having my dad there for me helped me realize how much I did love playing basketball."

Jenae considers her older sister, Taylor who played softball at Central Michigan, an influence as well.

"She would always work hard," Jenae said. "We'd make a pact – If you put the balls in the tee for me I'll go rebound for you. We always pushed each other."

Jenae said the natural resources program at UI was a huge factor in becoming a Vandal, in addition to the family atmosphere within the athletic department.
"It was the setting stone, like, 'Yeah, that's it. That's where I want to be,'" she said.

With firefighting comes hiking with heavy packs, swinging axes and other strength work.

"My legs are in shape, but it's nothing like basketball, especially with Coach Newlee," she said.

Jenae lived in Moscow during the summer, so she could still do workouts with the team.

 "If I wasn't on assignment, I was getting up every morning and having a 6 a.m. workout," she said. "Then I'd get ready and leave for work by 7:15 and be at work by 8:30. Then I'd work from 8:30  to 5 every day. I'd come home, do my homework, and then I'd go to bed and do it all over."
 

Fighting fire is historically an occupation where women are underrepresented. That is something Lewallen embraced. 

"Based out of Deary, we just had me and another girl," she said. "I think there are a lot more girls getting into it now than there was five to 10 years ago."

Jenae said she is also one of the youngest.

"A lot of them are graduated from college and a lot of them are older people in college," she said. "The oldest person we have was 27, 28 and I'm over here, like, just turning 20 in a couple days. It was a lot different. You can tell who the young ones are."

Right now, Jenae is glad to be on the front lines.

"I like doing the dirty work," she said. "I like being the person digging line. I don't really want to be in charge because I think they are sent back to do more paperwork or more telling people what to do. I'd rather just do it. I want to do it every day for the rest of my life."

Lewallen's ultimate goal is to work her way up to being a smoke jumper.

"You jump out of helicopters next to the fire, put your campsite up and then you go fight fire," she said. "It's my goal because they're amazing people. I want to be the best of the best, and I want people to look up to me and be like, 'Wow, I wish I could figure out how she does what she does.'"