Episode 188: Kelly Ramsey--Life on the Fireline in the Burning American West

Wildfires are no longer rare disasters in the American West—they are a defining feature of the landscape. But very few people have seen them up close.

In this episode, Jason Herbert speaks with Kelly Ramsey, author of Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West. Ramsey spent multiple seasons on an elite wildland firefighting crew—known as hotshots—the teams sent to the most dangerous parts of massive fires.

Ramsey was also the only woman on her crew, navigating a demanding and deeply male-dominated culture while battling some of the largest fires in recent Western history.

Together we explore:

• What it actually feels like to stand on the fireline

• The intense culture and camaraderie of hotshot crews

• The growing reality of megafires in the American West

• Gender, belonging, and earning trust in one of the toughest jobs in America

• What these fires reveal about the future of the Western landscape

Part adventure story, part personal reckoning, Wildfire Days offers a powerful look at life inside the fires that are reshaping the American West.

Kelly Ramsey was born in Frankfort, Kentucky. She studied poetry writing at the University of Virginia and earned an MFA in fiction from the University of Pittsburgh. She later moved to Northern California, where she worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a trail maintenance worker, wilderness ranger, and wildland firefighter on a hotshot crew. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Sierra, Electric Literature, Catapult, and the anthology Letter to a Stranger. She loves creeks, lakes, coffee, the ocean, punishing hikes, diner breakfasts, getting too much sun, and plants—even if their care remains a mystery. She lives in Bishop, California, with her partner, their daughter, and their dog, a lab mix who won’t swim named Rookie.