How a Wind River Reservation crew’s behind-the-scenes work keeps firefighters going on Togwotee Pass

Off Highway 26/287 going up Togwotee Pass, a dirt RV parking lot the size of a football field has been turned into a temporary town as hundreds of firefighters work to protect the surrounding cabins, lodges and roads from the Fish Creek Fire .

It's been burning for nearly a month and is currently around 25,000 acres, moving through dry forest in mountainous terrain. As of Sept. 13, crews have completed two-thirds of the actions they want to take to protect the road and nearby cabins.

"This is a very, very busy spot because this is essentially the center of fire activity from a logistical standpoint," said Morgan Faber, base camp manager for the forward operating base.The base is set up just south of Togwotee Lodge on the west side of the fire. Faber said every morning, the parking lot is packed for the daily briefing.

"This is completely full of cars and we have about another 75 vehicles out on the highway," she said.

There's a big dining tent, a trailer with showers, catering kitchens, a medical tent, a communications tent, a mechanic and even a mobile gas station.

"They run over the thing and then ding-ding! And the guy comes out and he'll help fuel up any of the trucks," said Faber.

All the infrastructure is set up to support the firefighters, who are camped in a big field a few miles away. The base camp and the firefighters work together with the incident command center located on the east side of the fire in Dubois.

And all the parts needed to make the wheels turn aren't always glamorous.

"We're just in charge of making sure everything that is here in base camp, from porta-potties, dumpsters, all of the lovely behind-the-scenes things that everyone needs, that's kind of what we manage," said Faber.

This temporary town doesn't just appear: Faber said it takes work to set up and to run.

"We build a town and then we tear it down, and it's really amazing to see how that process works. And without our camp crews around, I don't know how we would be able to get it done," she said.

Enter Wind River Camp Crew #1, a team from the Wind River Reservation that tackles all those odds and ends.

Teresa Swimmer is Northern Arapaho and from Fort Washakie. She described what a day in the life of a camp crew member looks like, and said that first up on their agenda is making coffee.

"On a daily basis we wake up at five a.m. in the morning. The first duty is to get to breakfast, get that done. Then counting meals for the catering, hand out lunches to the firefighters, wipe down tables, you know, make sure everything's clean for the firefighters to eat. Pick up trash, and when the trucks come in, we unload ice, we unload Gatorade," she said.

After taking a break while the firefighters are out for the day, the Wind River Camp Crew does it all again for the dinner rush. Swimmer's been working on camp crew for 15 years and said the work is hard, but the crew gets through it together.

"The crew that we have now, we're doing an awesome job and we all appreciate each other and we're all communicating and that's where basically it's mostly at, is communication," she said.

During that midday break, the 10 person crew grabbed folding chairs and crammed into one of the yurts to talk all things camp crew. Tara Jorgenson is Eastern Shoshone and is a first year on the crew. She said the toughest part was clear.

"My least favorite thing is getting up super, super early, but hey, it comes with the job," she said.

For Jorgenson, the flip side is getting to have new experiences and learning new things every day. She said being part of the camp crew team feels good.

"Everybody is expecting action and everything, but behind the action, it's like there's more action," she said.

Mavis Willow is Northern Arapaho and is the camp crew boss. She said she loves being in the wilderness.

"I love being out here. I love camping. I just like to be on my feet all the time and just, you know, stay as young as possible as I can," she said.

Willow is from Ethete and said working in the fire world runs in the family.

"My father, he was a World War II veteran and he kind of disciplined us that way. He was a firefighter also. The whole family, as they grew up, they joined him. My brothers and sisters were all firefighters. Me, being the youngest and going to school and coming back, I went with camp crew," she said.

That tradition is still getting passed on. Willow has two grandkids on the crew, her son's daughter, Ashely Willow, and her daughter's son, Edgar Jorgenson Jr.

It's Ashley's first time on the crew.

"My grandma showed me [the job]," she said. "I just wanted to try it out, it seems cool down here and maybe I would do it again," she said.

Jorgenson Jr. said having a sibling on the crew was his reason for wanting to do the job.

"We don't fight, we hang out and it's comfortable," he said.

But camp crew boss Willow said that it's all business on the job.

"I'm not grandma here, but I'm their boss," she said, laughing.

Jason Stevenson, who's Northern Arapaho and from the Fort Washakie area, used to be a firefighter. But then he said his life took a different direction.

"I got some bumps and bruises that I can't heal up like I used to when I was young," he said. "Camp crew is a lot better, a lot easier than being out there in the mountains fighting fire."

Stevenson's been stationed at the supply yurt and is training to take on a receiving and distributing manager role at fire camp.

"For me, it's a way to advance further into this. As I'm getting older, turn into the career side of it," he said.

As for what keeps Stevenson coming back?

"There's a lot of historical places and a lot of things about this country that we want to save and keep part of our country," he said. "Just practically being part of the whole team, it feels good when it's finally out and everything's done. You did your part to help out."

Fellow camp crew member Josh Hanway echoed Stevenson's sentiment.

"I like being outside and seeing everybody from this area try to come together and save all this, cause we're all kind of familiar with this region. We're all trying to protect it and I think that's pretty cool," he said.

While most fire assignments are 14 days, the Wind River Camp Crew was asked to extend their contract for one more week, thanks to all their hard work.