Jason Garn checks on his goats, which are being used by the Utah Army National Guard to create a firebreak on Camp Williams, located near Salt Lake City. The goats have proved their worth during more than one fire season. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy

When it comes to fighting wildfires, many immediately think of water or fire retardant dropped from helicopters and other aircraft, or soot-covered firefighters using hoses and foam to battle back towering blazes.

Few people, however, think of goats as a firefighting tool, but goats are exactly what the Utah National Guard is using to lessen the potential of wildfires here at Camp Williams, located near Salt Lake City.

The Utah Guard has enlisted more than 1,200 goats and sheep to consume fire fuels, such as sagebrush and oak brush, before this year’s fire season, said Army Lt. Col. Hank McIntire, the public affairs officer for the Utah Guard.

Less brush means less fuel for wildfires to feed off of. But contrary to popular belief, goats won’t eat everything.

“There are certain plants that they would just have to be starved to eat,” said Doug Johnson, natural resources manager for the Utah Army National Guard. “But they’ll eat a lot of our heavy fuels pretty readily, like the sagebrush and the oak brush. And they do a great job dealing with those fields.”

Goats nibble on some of the 'fire fuel' found on Camp Williams. The Utah Guard has enlisted more than 1,200 goats and sheep to consume fire fuels, such as sagebrush and oak brush, before this year's fire season. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy

The goats were first introduced in 1999 on an experimental basis in cooperation with Utah State University, said McIntire. Two years later during a massive wildfire that spread through the camp, the goats proved their worth.

“The ‘goat firebreak’ had only been constructed a very short distance but where it was constructed, the fire stopped, even when it jumped roads and other firebreaks,” said McIntire.

In 2003, the goats were officially added to Camp Williams’ fire prevention plan and were used to construct more firebreaks. The Utah Guard has been steadily increasing the length of those areas over the past six years and currently has about 10 miles of goat-cleared firebreaks, said McIntire.

The value of the goats’ efforts was proven again in 2006, when another major wildfire broke out on the camp.

“The fire was driven by winds approaching 20 mph into twin, bulldozed firebreaks,” said McIntire. “The twin firebreaks held for between 10-15 minutes before the fire jumped the lines and raced uphill toward the camp’s northern boundary.”

At that point, pushed by nearly 40 mph winds, the blaze neared the top of the ridge when it hit the area cleared by the goats.

“Under these conditions, the fire line plowed into the goat firebreak and stopped,” said McIntire. “Personnel on the ridge at the time … remarked that had it not been for the goats, the fire would not have stopped at the ridgeline.”

If the fire had not stopped there, said McIntire, it most likely would have continued on to nearby housing developments.

The goats have also helped clear Camp Williams of other unwanted items. In 2007, an unexploded artillery shell was found after they cleared an area along the camp’s artillery impact area. Suspected to have been fired during training in the mid-1980s, the round sat unnoticed in heavy brush before the goats got to it.

“They eat [just about] everything down to stubble,” said McIntire. “It makes it look like a wasteland. Once the area was cleared off by the goats, the round was easily seen.”

A berm was constructed around the shell for safety and an explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the shell in place with an explosive charge. The wildfires of the previous year had come within 200 meters of the shell, said McIntire.

The success of the goats has strengthened ties with those who live near the camp, said McIntire. And plans are underway to increase the amount of goat-built firebreaks.

Currently, a planned extension of the firebreaks is to be built along the western edge of the camp and the cost of the addition will be paid for by the Utah State Forestry and Fire Department, said McIntire.

DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy

As the reigning Miss Utah and as a combat medic who has deployed to Afghanistan with her National Guard unit, Sgt. Jill Stevens said her experiences as a soldier have helped her in her civilian life.

In an interview on the “ASY Live” program on BlogTalkRadio.com, Stevens said her experience from November 2003 to April 2005 taking care of up to 40 patients on any given day at the Bagram Air Base medical aid station gave her the determination and adaptability that are paramount to her success in other aspects of her life.

“Being a solider, you are really trained to adapt to any situation,” she said, “and it has really prepared me for civilian life.”

Stevens, who serves in the Utah National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, joined the National Guard in 2001. She said her military life and her civilian life aren’t as different as some people might think.

“A lot of people think these paths are so different and that I live a dichotomy, but there’s a reason I am involved in both organizations,” she said. “Both the military and the Miss America Association promote education [and] teach you to be a leader, think on your feet and stay in shape and, above all, to serve your country,” she said.

During her service in Afghanistan, Stevens said, she developed a great deal of pride for her country, particularly for the women who serve in the military. During her deployment, she competed in the inaugural marathon race at Bagram and was the first woman to finish. Stevens now has completed 14 marathons, and she said the one in Afghanistan “was one of the toughest.”

“Here I was a woman, running in a country where women were mistreated, defiled and oppressed. … I was angered as I was running, but at the same time proud — proud to be not only an American woman but an American soldier fighting for their worth,” she said.

She said she thought of Afghanistan’s women every step of the way, and it carried her to the finish line.

“We are making a difference,” she said. “I know these women are realizing their worth, and some are taking a stand to determine their place in the world.”

During her deployment, Stevens said, it was important to keep morale high for the continued strength of the force.

“I was there to take care of the physical injuries,” she said, “but I also really saw the emotional side. I saw firsthand that keeping the morale high really helps our soldiers perform better.”

“ASY Live” on BlogTalkRadio.com is part of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Stevens recalled the touches from home that helped her most during her deployment.

“Thoughtful gifts meant a lot to me — favorite foods or an encouraging e-mail was great, [because] it meant so much that they took time to think about me,” she explained. She took the importance of boosting morale a step further with her own personal cause to encourage her fellow servicemembers.

“Since we had electricity over there, I was like, ‘Mom, send me a bread machine!’ she said. “Whenever I heard they were having a rough day, I baked bread for the soldiers … just to boost their spirits.”

Another important memory of her deployment, Stevens said, was the opportunity to interact with local children despite the language barrier.

“You speak different languages; you’ve grown up in really different cultures,” she said. “We would communicate with the kids by smiling and making funny faces.”

Back in the United States after her deployment, Stevens acknowledged, she had the wrong idea about pageants before she got involved in that aspect of her life.

“All I thought these girls did was just wave their hand and look pretty, and that was not something I wanted to be associated with,” she said.

That was before she learned that pageant titleholders can make a difference by their ability to serve as spokeswomen and form organizations. “I love to serve, I love to give back,” she said. “That’s why I am a soldier and a nurse.”

The realization that a pageant title could help her make a difference, Stevens said, is when she “learned how to put on make-up instead of camouflage paint.”

Stevens said she was impressed by the support she received from other soldiers when she decided to pursue the Miss America title.

“I have brothers and sisters around the world that are so supportive, and I know that whatever it is, they’ve got your back,” she said.

During her pageant, she recalled, 100 soldiers were in the audience, cheering her on. “I didn’t know half of them,” she said, “but they came to support another soldier.

This continued support from her “family” of servicemembers is now an important part of who she is and will help keep her focused toward her next goal, said Stevens, who will hold her Miss Utah title until July.

“There is so much negative publicity on the news today, and optimism is important,” she said. Looking forward, Stevens said, she will rely on her military experience and connection to maintain her optimism and carry her into her next endeavor.

“Wherever you go, if you wear the uniform or sport the military ID card, you connect with people immediately,” she said. “I know that will always be a part of me.”

DoD
By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service