A True Story

 

     In the summer 1978, Jan Mendoza was one of the very first female fire fighters to work for the California Department of Forestry, now known as Calfire.  A female had never stepped foot to work at her assigned duty station in its 50 year history. 
     It was definitely a man's world and some weren't happy when an 18 year old girl that stood 5'2" and weighed 95 pounds showed up for duty. She not only surprised herself of her abilities and stamina, she also surprised her very skeptical male counterparts.
     From the mundane everyday station work to battling raging forest fires with near death experiences, Jan tells her story with humor and honesty of being the only girl at a mountain fire station.