Commentator Mike Thoele (TAY-lee) waits for the call in the night from his daughter or son, telling him they are off to fight yet another Western fire. Both are members of elite groups of firefighters -- the daughter is a smokejumper and the son is on a "hot shot" crew. Each summer they join 50,000 other seasonal firefighters in what Thoele calls "a summer rite of passage."
Copyright 1996 NPR
