‘Living with Fire’ showcases Idaho’s fiery history

A collaboration between the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University, the Bureau of Land Management and other firefighting agencies has created a new exhibit showing how Idaho’s relationship with wildfires.

Anyone in Idaho has had experience with a wildfire, big or small, which is why the museum decided to create an exhibit on the topic.

“Even though we’re located here in Pocatello, we are a state museum,” said Becky Hansis-O’Neill, an education specialist in the museum. “It was important to us to pick a topic that communicated to citizens across the state.”

The exhibit details how wildfire fighting techniques and methods have evolved. It also explores the science behind wildfires, detailing how wildfires have gotten so big, how the weather influences them and how the environment is affected.

There are six interactive aspects, both digital and physical, in the exhibit.

Jesse Bender, a fire information officer with the BLM, said the exhibit helps put faces onto the people who fight the state’s wildfires.

“It gives a great connection for the public,” Bender said. “If you come in here, you’re going to see the faces and hear the voices of firefighters.”

The exhibit will be at the museum until next fall. There hasn’t been an official closing date set yet.