CLEAR CREEK COUNTY
Creating fire is easy, yet understanding and learning to live with this friend and foe has never been easy; stopping fire is a dangerous, and often deadly, pursuit. Drawing on his experiences as an environmental historian, firefighter and life safety educator, author Einar Jensen presents Ancient Fire, Modern Fire: Understanding and Living With Our Friend and Foe, an eye-opening look at fire and our history of dealing with it, then gives tools for being prepared, as parents, teachers, communities, fire service professionals and homeowners in the wildland urban interface.

Jensen was a volunteer firefighter for Clear Creek Fire Authority for 14 years and was also a wildland firefighter for Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office Marmot Wildfire Crew for eight of those years. He is a veteran community risk reduction specialist and works for Colorado’s South Metro Fire Rescue Authority’s Preparedness Division directing a wildfire mitigation program and educating students and the public on fire and injury prevention. He studied environmental history at the University of Montana and University of Puget Sound and considers himself a recovering print journalist. He is an active member of the Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado.

“If we don’t change our understanding of fire, our rules of engagement, or our cultural values, we should expect more tragedies and be willing to pay for them in ever-increasing volumes of dollars, blood, sweat and tears. I’m committed to preventing these tragedies, and I hope to bring more members into my prevention cadre,” Jensen said.

The book has sections on fire as a friend and foe, fundamentals of fire science, youth and firesetting, fire’s dark side and positive side, rules of fire, sacred fire, risk perception, harmony with fire and the future. The 224-page paperback, published by PixyJack Press in February, also includes 29 ancient myths about the origins of fire, a detailed appendix with resources for dealing with youth fire misuse, suggested reading, online resources, glossary and more.

Ancient Fire, Modern Fire: Understanding and Living With Our Friend and Foe can be purchased from PixyJack Press at odysseyavenue.com/pixyjackpress or on Amazon.com for $19.95.

Originally published in the March 2016 issue of the MMAC Monthly