Volunteer firefighter does good

Colleen Knoll is a volunteer firefighter from North Okanagan, Canada. During the summer, she works as kitchen staff at a lodge in Jasper National Park. On July 22nd she found herself playing the role of hero when an evacuation alarm sounded and thick smoke billowed from the mountainside.

"The smoke was coming up from the mountainside," said Knoll. "It was big."

She’s 18 years old.

After receiving the evacuation order, Knoll sprang into action, knocking on cabin doors to rouse guests and gather them together. But her duties didn't stop there.

"I was notified that there was a hiker campground just above us and they had no way of knowing about the evacuation," she explained. "I hiked up the trail, evacuated everyone there, and brought them down to the main group."

In total, there were 16 people in potential danger with the fire raging and Knull used a tactic as old as Grimm’s fairy tales to lead them to safety.

“I had previously rode up a horse up to that lodge on that same trail and throughout the way me and my employer, we had cut logs on the way up, there were 67 logs, so there would be be 67 cut logs on the way down…”

The four-hour hike through rugged terrain was arduous, with thick smoke and falling ash creating perilous conditions."My eyes were burning," said hiker Rebecca Tocher.

After the grueling hike, a pickup truck awaited to transport the group out of the danger zone. Knoll, of course, took the wheel.

The fire ended up sparing the 1921 lodge, but the damage was pretty extensive, with recent estimations of $283 million worth of destroyed property.

But for those who stayed at the Lodge? No one was seriously injured.

Knull said the experience reinforced her motivation to become a full-time, professional firefighter.  

“I like to be able to help people,” said the 18-year-old. “I like the fact that what I do in my work does good.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.