The History of Whitmore Station

Established in the early 1930s, the Whitmore CDF (California Division of Forestry) Station has long served as a vital base for wildland firefighting operations in Northern California. For its first half-century of operation, the station was staffed exclusively by men.

That decades long streak changed in the summer of 1978. Following a department-wide mandate to open the doors to female seasonal firefighters, Whitmore Station integrated its crew and welcomed its very first female firefighter (Jan Cornett-Mendoza). There were no special accommodations made for the new arrival; she shared the exact same barracks and bathroom facilities as the rest of the crew. Breaking through that decades-long boundary paved the way for future generations of women to answer the call, protect the timberlines, and build a lasting legacy.