Kelly Greene
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Two local young men, Matt Milliron, 23, of Lee, and Tanner Greene, 33, of Madison, have chosen the risky profession of fighting fires, both locally and out-of-state.
Milliron and Greene both graduated from Madison County High School before opting to pursue a career with the Florida Forest Service, (FFS).
Milliron was recently sent out by the FFS in combination with two crews as a cooperative effort to combat the wildfires raging in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho. Milliron's firefighting stint began on Thursday, Aug. 11 and continued through Sunday, Aug. 28. Milliron's troop flew into Wyoming first as part of an IA, initial response team, with a crew of 20 people. That excursion entailed five days of being completely self-sufficient with tents and an adequate food supply for the length of stay. This firefighting stretch also included combating the Lost Solar Fire in Rifle, Colorado and the Porcupine fires in the Manti La Sal National Forest, also located in Colorado.
Greene was recently dispatched from FFS, as a single resource fighter to Monterey, Ca., on Wednesday, Aug. 24 through Thursday, Sept. 8., where he worked on the front lines with an initial attack to combat the Soberanes Fire. The wildfire is still burning in Garrapata State Park, Los Padres National Forest and other adjoining areas of private and public land, in Monterey County, Ca.
Milliron and Greene work locally at the Florida Forestry Station, a 24/7 fire response station, located at 7620 133rd Rd., in Live Oak, Fl., responding to fires in Suwannee and Hamilton counties. Additionally, they serve as part of a 20 person team managing the various responsibilities and upkeep for the Twin River State Forest. Responsibilities include maintenance needs and land owner contracts that help with prescribed fires. The firefighters use a technique called pre-suppression, which maintains and controls the fires, as well as cleans the underbrush and puts nutrients back into the ground of the forest.
Photo Submitted Firefighter Tanner Greene fighting a wildfire in California.
Photo Submitted Firefighter Matt Milliron fighting a wildfire in Colorado.