Barbara Boxer: “Today, it is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to a fallen California firefighter. Firefighter Eva Schicke was…”

“Today, it is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to a fallen California firefighter. Firefighter Eva Schicke was killed on Sunday, September 12, when her crew was overwhelmed by flames after being dropped by helicopter to fight a wildfire in the Tuolumne River Canyon of the Stanislaus National Forest. Eva Schicke was part of an elite 7-person helicopter wildfire crew stationed at Columbia Air Attack Base in Columbia, CA. She and the six other members of this helicopter crew selflessly risked their lives trying to protect our communities and our treasured forests. A graduate of California State University at Stanislaus where she played basketball and majored in criminal justice, Eva Schicke worked part time as a firefighter for more than 4 years. When she died she was beginning to pursue a career in nursing--yet another testament to her generosity of spirit and her desire to serve the community. Not only was Ms. Schicke one of the few female firefighters to serve, she is now, tragically, the first ever female firefighter from the California Department of Forestry to die in the line of duty. I offer my sincere condolences to her family, friends, and classmates. I know they must be devastated by the loss of this courageous, young woman. I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the search and rescue team that went back in to recover Ms. Schicke's body.”