Indian firefighters in Nevada carry on tradition

Tuesday, June 19, 2007  

Tribal members in Nevada are carrying out family traditions by becoming firefighters.

Willard Knight, 35, a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe, says most of his family fights fires. He supervises a crew of about 20 people during the summer.

Rose Curtis, a member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, became a firefighter because of her family. She hope to return to the field after she clears up some health problems.

"I guess once you've gone out there, you've got it in your blood," Curtis told The Reno Gazette-Journal.

Knight taught a class at the Rookie School for Nevada this week. About half of the students were assigned to tribal units or the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Get the Story:
Indian firefighters follow tradition, economic necessity (The Reno Gazette-Journal 6/19)