Rebecca Welch, a firefighter with the Naches Ranger District, Wenatchee National Forest in Washington State, has been named the 2002 Stihl National Forestry Heroism Award winner. She is the youngest recipient and the first woman to be honored with this award.

The 23-year-old Welch demonstrated extraordinary courage when she saved two campers during a raging wildfire by sharing her one-person fire shelter. The catastrophic “Thirty-Mile Fire” burning in Okanogan National Forest on July 10, 2001, trapped 14 firefighters, including Welch, and two civilian campers, Bruce and Paula Hagemeyer. Welch, a rookie firefighter working only her second fire, shielded the two civilians from the wildfire by sharing her fire shelter with them.

Fire shelters are made from aluminum foil and fiberglass cloth and are designed to protect no more than one person by reflecting radiant heat. With no way to outrun the flames, Welch and the Hagemeyers huddled together under the cramped tent for 30 minutes until the fire passed over them. The Hagemeyers were treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns. Welch suffered second-degree burns on the right side of her body, the side that could not be completely covered by the shelter. Four firefighters from Welch's crew were killed in that fire.

“July 10, 2001, was a day of terrible loss for our nation's wildland firefighters,” said Welch at the award ceremony May 17 at the East Coast Sawmill and Logging Exposition in Richmond, Va. “But also one that tested our strength and will to survive.”

Six years ago, Stihl created the National Forestry Heroism Award, giving special recognition each year to an extraordinary individual who works with, in, or devotes a significant portion of his or her time to the forestry industry. Nominations are open to firefighters, loggers, forest and park rangers, and other individuals employed in the care and maintenance of the nation's forests. A panel of independent judges in the industry selects the winner based on such criteria as the impact of the candidate's action for the good of society, the impact of the candidate's action for the good of the forestry industry, and how memorable the candidate's action was.

As this year's recipient, Welch received an award plaque and monetary gift. Stihl also will make a contribution to Humboldt State University, Department of Forestry and Watershed Management in Arcata, Calif., near Welch's hometown.

Nominations for the 2003 National Forestry Heroism Award are now being accepted. Applications can be downloaded from <www.stihlusa.com>, or can be requested by calling 800-GO-STIHL.