BBC: Fire prevention in one of the coldest places on Earth might not sound like the most likely job, but every year the US Antarctic Program recruits a team of fire-fighters to head poleward.
“‘Are there fires in Antarctica?’ That’s always the question I get,” says Megan Branson, who spent over 24 months “on the ice” as a fire-fighter and paramedic between 2007 and 2010.And the answer?Yes. Though rarely, if the the Antarctic Fire Department can help it.
In the busy summer season of October – March, there are over 1,000 residents at the US Antarctic Program’s McMurdo Station, making it the largest settlement in the region.
Flights landing at the base must, by law, have a fire crew on hand, but McMurdo is also a fully functioning town.
As for any town, building fire safety is important. Even more so when outdoor temperatures only inch above freezing at the height of summer.”There’s a lot of heavy machinery, a lot of chemicals and toxic substances, a lot of people… and humans are prone to error.” says Branson.
This more than warrants McMurdo’s own firehouse and team of fire-fighters.Having initially trained as a fire-fighter and paramedic after completing high school in the US, Branson was jokingly challenged by a friend to apply for the Antarctic programme.”I had finished my training, graduated and was looking for an adventure (and more importantly, a job)… I have an odd habit of pursuing things that scare me and took the challenge,” she tells BBC News.
By the time interviews came around, her friend had gotten another job, so she went through the rest of the process alone.
Our time is a news portal