The highest priority on a fire is life itself. Fire strategy and camp operations personnel monitor firefighters' health and safety on and off the fire lines.

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Setting up the Fire Camp, Leroux Fire, June 11, 2001.
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An assembly of the tents is already set up at the base camp of the Leroux Fire on the afternoon of June 11, 2001, the day the fire started.
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Fire fighters pick up their gear at the logistics area, Leroux Fire base camp, June 11, 2001.
NAU.PH.2001.20.1.199 Buck Allen, Mormon Lake Hotshot Senior Fire Fighter and Lookout for the Steamboat Fire, June 30, 2001.
Glen Bennett

Glen Bennett
Bus driver for firefighters during the summer of 1973

"So here's this hot shower set up, there's a huge dining area set up, covered with not quite a circus tent, but almost. A lot of logistic radios. Just the biggest set-up I'd ever seen."

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Claudia Mazuros

Claudia Mazuros
Retired firefighter, former crew boss on the Color Country Class 2 firefighting team

"I was on a camp crew. That was a cushy job."

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Cathie Zettler

Cathie Zettler
Fire management officer for Mormon Lake Ranger District, Coconino National Forest

"Logistics, finance, plans, operations, safety, fire information. That's an incident management team."

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George Sheppard

George Sheppard
Past wildlife biologist, Kaibab National Forest

"Paul Gleason developed what we call under the acronym LCES, which is Lookouts, Communication, Escape routes, and Safety zones. If we're assigned to a fire, those four factors must be incorporated into everything that we do for fighting fire on the line."

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