This past eight months of working for the Forestry Commission has been nothing short of exciting.
That may sound odd coming from someone who left behind a jam-packed career in television broadcasting, but this whole new world of forestry has been exactly what I’d been hoping for.
I didn’t know the first thing about forestry when I walked into the office on the first day of my new career. For someone whose job revolves around communicating with the media, the public and other stakeholders about all the intricacies of a given topic, this made me a little uneasy! How was I supposed to reword complex ideas for public consumption if I didn’t know the first thing about forest management or protection?
Thankfully, the first few months of my employment seemed busy, but they were calm enough so that I could immerse myself in learning. That independent study came hand in hand with lots of help from professional – and patient – coworkers who were always happy to talk through confusing topics, even when they had a lot on their plate.
It didn’t take me long to recognize how dedicated the SCFC team is during emergencies, too.
Just four months into my career here at the SCFC and fewer than 24 hours after finishing up fire school, the Covington Drive Fire ignited. I happened to be in Myrtle Beach on vacation when it started, and I remember the nervousness I felt when I received my very first “We have a situation…” text from Doug Wood letting me know that I needed to hop on socials to answer inquiries and post updates as they became available.
The long days of scrolling through feeds, monitoring public perception and comments, collaborating with team members, posting updates quickly and responding to private messages reminded me of my previous job in a way.
From squeezing in breaking news during newscasts to monitoring trials for weeks (I bet you can guess which one sticks out to me the most), I felt like I’d been here before in a strange way, glued to my computer and phone, ready to receive updates and provide information to various audiences after quickly figuring out how to present it in an easily digestible way. Through the craziness was this odd kind of comfort, a familiarity with the process even though the information was all new to me. After a couple weeks of covering Covington on the web, I thought I had a better understanding of the inner workings of extended attack.
Not long after, the Table Rock Fire ignited.
What would soon become the biggest mountain fire in SC history was just beginning.
This time, I felt much more prepared to handle interviews and inquiries, but nervous in a whole new way as I headed up to Table Rock to work in person as a PIO at the Table Rock Complex. This experience really gave me a clear view of initial and extended attack as I filmed operational videos after the morning briefing and watched as crews headed out and returned to ICP each day.
This complex marked my first time working within unified command and under the Southern Area Blue Team, with each setup providing distinct benefits to my understanding of the behind-the-scenes operations.
As my workflow returns to a sense of normalcy following this year’s project fires, I’m thankful for all of you and the huge impact you’ve had on me so far.
I’m also looking forward to some big changes ahead of us. The communications team has been diligently learning the inner workings of our new digital Tree Country, and we are so excited to get the ball rolling on this beautifully curated online newsletter.
If we haven’t met yet – which reminds me, I need to get out more – my inbox is always open. I love meeting new people and collaborating on new videos or photo opportunities. Our following has doubled across all of our social media platforms since this year’s project fires, and having those extra eyes on us presents a rare opportunity to show new audiences across the state and beyond what we do, not only during emergencies, but also in our everyday roles.
No matter how mundane the task may seem (cold trailing, washing hoses, maintaining your dozer, etc.), if you’re doing something you think could be of interest, let me know! I love brainstorming new ways to give our audience a look into all that we do, and our followers are curious about the behind-the-scenes of it all.
As a journalist, storytelling and figuring out how to best showcase seemingly simple tasks is my passion, and it’s those things that allow the public to have a new appreciation for us even when we’re not actively protecting lives and properties at a project fire.