Faces of wildland fire: meet Tye Taber and Becky Jenison

With the approach of National Wildland Firefighter Day on July 2, we’re spotlighting some of the amazing people in this community. Meet Tye Taber, Air Operations Manager for the Great Basin Smokejumpers, and Becky Jenison, Acting Program Manager for the Joint Fire Science Program, both located at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID. 

Tye manages the planes used by the crew and their contracts, as well as fleet for smokejumper and paracargo operations. He also trains spotters, experienced smokejumpers who coordinate jump missions, pick jump spots (areas for smokejumpers to land), and “slap backs” when it’s time to jump. Along with these responsibilities, Tye continues to be an active smokejumper himself.

Tye connected with the USDA Forest Service at a job fair in college and got firefighter qualifications while working in trail maintenance in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in Oregon. He worked on a type 2 hand crew and a helitack crew for several seasons before jumping for the first time with the West Yellowstone Smokejumpers. About ten years later, he joined the Great Basin Smokejumpers in 2016.

Working with great people and seeing amazing places are still Tye’s favorite part of the job, and he attributes the crew’s ability to retain jumpers for many years to its culture of high performance. “It’s all people who are good at making decisions, leading, being proactive,” he says. “And it’s the best job out there. That’s why I’m still here.” 

Becky Jenison’s wildland fire journey began not in the flames, but at a front desk — and she was still in high school.

At just 18, Becky was answering phones and helping visitors on the Malheur National Forest at a District office in John Day, Oregon. As a “Stay in School” student, she fielded questions about everything from hiking trails to timber sales, quickly becoming the go-to for just about everything under the sun. Her curiosity didn’t stop at the front desk— soon, she was learning engineering programs and helping design roads with the Forest’s Engineering team.

A few years in, Becky felt the pull of something new. She packed her bags and headed to Boise, Idaho, where she took a similar role at the Boise National Forest Supervisor’s Office. It was there her path took a pivotal turn: she joined the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP), a massive interagency effort that opened her eyes to the power of collaboration — and sparked her interest in the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

So, when the newly established Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) launched at NIFC in 1998, Becky didn’t hesitate. She applied. She got the job. And she’s been with the program ever since.

Over 27 years, Becky has worn many hats at JFSP — from Administrative Assistant to Management and Program Analyst to her current role as Acting Program Manager. She’s been there from the ground up, helping build the website and proposal database, expanding the team from two to many, and working closely with the 12-member Governing Board to awarding wildland fire science research grants across the country. Her leadership has helped grow JFSP into a vital hub for wildland fire science, connecting academics, fire managers, and field practitioners to the science they need to make informed decisions.

What keeps her going? It’s the interagency collaboration and the real-world application of research. “Seeing science used on the ground — that’s what excites me,” Becky says. “It’s where the magic happens.”

But Becky’s role in the fire world doesn’t stop there. She also serves as a Supervisory Dispatcher, stepping in during active fire incidents to coordinate everything from crews and logistics to, yes, even the bathrooms. “Everything starts and ends in dispatch,” she says. “It’s the heartbeat of the operation.”

From high school student to a guiding force in wildland fire science, Becky Jenison’s career has been one of service, adaptability, and deep dedication. Whether she’s guiding a wildland fire research program or making sure firefighters have what they need on the line, Becky proves that leadership can come from anywhere.