Where Fire Meets the Sky: The “SEAT Base Sisters” Set High Standard for Fire and Aviation
Story by Sarah Moody, BLM Nevada #FireYear2020 PIO
Photos by Austin Catlin, BLM Idaho
Melissa Chard begins her mornings with a 50-mile commute from Elko to the Bureau of Land Management SEAT Base in Wells, NV. During the drive, she prepares herself for the day, her mind often reviewing what she could have done differently during the previous day’s work and how she can better support her team.
Once she arrives, her team sets to work, making the base operational for the day. The Wells SEAT Base fills SEATs, or Single Engine Air Tankers, with fire retardant used to suppress wildfires across the Great Basin area including Nevada, Idaho, and Utah. Chard’s crew of three runs the show at the base from taking care of day to day tasks, working the ramp, parking fixed wing planes, and retardant operations. Chard says that her team’s attention to detail combined with their desire to create a fun and safe environment is what makes her crew unique. What makes her team particularly unique in the fire world, however, is that it is comprised solely of women. Holly Seech and Katie Kees are both Tanker Base Technicians and work as the “pit crew” running Pit 1 and Pit 2, allowing the base to fill two SEATs with retardant at once.
A call from fire dispatch and all systems are go on base: pilots are called, briefing is held, and the two SEATs that are stationed in Wells are hooked up, filled, and off to the fire. If Wells is the nearest base to the fire, the SEATs will return for refilling, a turn around that can often take 45–60 minutes. Depending on the size of the fire, the base might service as many as six to eight SEATs during the day, rotating them through in pairs. On an average day, the base might administer as many as 39 loads of retardant, an accomplishment that is in large part due to Chard’s leadership in managing the base.
“I never, ever imagined myself in wildland fire and aviation,” Chard laughs. Originally from Humboldt County, CA, Chard slowly moved her way east eventually getting a student position through Great Basin College as an administrative assistant with Elko BLM. Every opportunity she had, she picked up shifts on the base working nights, weekends, and holidays. Once she graduated, she picked up a seasonal job as an air tanker technician and eventually qualified for a SEAT base manager position. In 2018, Chard became the Wells SEAT Base Manger in a year that the base used a record of 549,554 gallons of retardant which adds up to 747 fills or “sorties” as they are referred to in fire. The record setting year got the base funding for two Tanker Base Technicians, a change from using Administratively Determined (AD) positions, which has improved operations and professionalism. This year so far, the team has filled 205,000 gallons, which may not be on track to set a record, but it is keeping them busy.
Holly Seech, a local who grew up in Wells, is now in her second season on the crew. With encouragement from her brother-in-law she started working on the volunteer fire department when she was 18 and enjoys “showing up the guys” as much as she can. Katie Kees, originally from Montana, completed the same student program as Chard through GBC before Chard recruited her to be a technician this season. So far, her first summer has been a success. “I am excited to go to work every day. We have so much fun. We all work really well together.”
Alec Goicoechea, the Unit Aviation Manager at the Wells Base, fondly refers to the 3-woman team as the “SEAT Base Sisters.” When asked about having an all women crew and particularly this all women crew Goicoechea says, “I love it! The comradery out there is super awesome, and they have a good all-around attitude and culture.”
In a profession that is predominantly male, Goicoechea comments, “It is rare to have women in fire. To have three running the base is pretty cool.” A 2018 report by the National Fire Protection Association found that only 8% of firefighters were female and only 4% of career firefighters were female. The aviation world is similar where pretty much all the contractors and pilots that the “SEAT Base Sisters” work with are male. These women do not shy away from any of the work that needs to be done. Chard takes pride in making sure that her team produces an awesome product. She also makes her presence known and is constantly networking and making sure that she is available for assignments and getting her name out there. She acknowledges that both in this line of work and especially as a woman, “you have to stay on top of your game, and you need a huge support team behind you.”
A big part of Chard’s support team is Goicoechea. Describing him, she tears up, saying that, “working with him is amazing. He is one of your biggest supporters in everything. If you have an amazing supervisor, you’ll do absolutely everything you can. He knows just how far to push you out of your comfort zone.” Chard passes that support right on to her own team. Both Kees and Seech admire Chards leadership and patience and hope to continue their careers in either aviation and/or fire. Chard strives to give the gals on her crew every opportunity to learn and the guidance, support, and confidence that she would want from a leader. She also recognizes the importance of having a tight knit and confident team. “When you are working 14–21 days straight, you are pretty much living together, and have to become like a family. You need cohesion.” And she could not be prouder of the team she has created, bragging that on a day that Kees took off, it took two men from another tanker base to replace her.
Chard keeps a learner’s mindset and is always looking for opportunities to grow. Her leadership has already been recognized at the national level. After attending the National Aerial Supervision Training Academy in 2019 as a Fixed Wing Parking Tender trainee, she was invited back to be a trainer in 2020 and 2021. She plans to keep expanding her skill set and currently is working on her qualifications for Air Tanker Base Manager with sights set on managing some of the bigger planes like the CL-415 Scooper.At the end of the day, Chard uses the commute back home to Elko to decompress so she is able to keep work separate from home where she returns to her biggest fan, her 11-year-old son who thinks it is the coolest thing in the world that his mom get to play all day with planes. Skies are literally the limits for his mom.
