Una Brown, Engine Captain, Tonto National Forest

PHOTO TOM STORY

Una Brown started her fire career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on one of the Navajo Scout Type 2 crews, which she joined right out of high school in 1999. In 2000, she moved to the Forest Service as an engine crewperson on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona; she now captains a Type 6 on the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto.

Mesa engines use Ruffian packs. "What I like about Ruffian is that you can customize it," Brown says. "We wanted a detachable pack, because some of the fires are right near roads, and we don't need our full packs." The main part of the pack stores the fire shelter, a Camelback hydration system and four one-quart military-style canteens for water. For food, Brown packs MREs, a can of ravioli and tuna packages.

What's the most important thing in Una Brown's pack? "Safety-wise, my fire shelter," she says. "But I've grown attached to my new GPS unit. You can do a lot of cool things with it. And when you go into a fire after dark, you can find your way out."

Brown takes one personal item with her on all assignments: "One thing that helps me get through some of the hard times is a letter from my mom. I keep that in [my pack] all the time."

Tom Story is a freelance photographer and writer from Tempe, Ariz.