WOODSTOCK – Edwin Howe spoke on firefighting at the April meeting of the Woodstock Historical Society.

Howe worked in the White Mountain National Forest Service for 18 years. He fought forest fires in 38 states, many out west. Howe said the longest he was away was about 22 days and he never felt in serious danger.

He has been in Washington, California, Idaho, Vermont, Maine, Virginia and West Virginia as a squad boss.

Howe said the firefighters carried tents they could crawl into to protect themselves if necessary. They set backfires and make firebreaks as wide as 10 feet, and helicopters often carried them in or dropped water or fire retardant chemicals. He said they stayed in fire camps and often slept under the stars.

The firefighter said at high elevations in Yellowstone it was difficult to breathe. He said he saw 175,000 acres in California involved in one of the earliest fires he fought.

Often, flights out west landed in Boise, Idaho, and in later years, many women have served on the crews. Howe showed many slides during his talk.

Paul and Vicki Billings will talk about their trip to the Catskills in New York during the May meeting of the group.