In a future in which the threat of wildfires shrouds the horizon in smoke and uncertainty, the film “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” (2022) offers a fresh perspective of hope.
The world is grappling with the repercussions of climate change and an expanding human footprint. The need for innovative solutions and a shift in our understanding of wildfires has never been more pressing. “Elemental” aims to uncover these solutions, reimagining the narrative of wildfires from one of despair to one of resilience and adaptation.
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Middlebury students, faculty and community members gathered in Dana Auditorium to explore this complex world of wildfire through the film’s lens.
Though required to attend for her Earth and Climate Sciences class, Chelsea Smith ’23.5 was also curious to learn more about how wildfire and climate change go hand in hand.
“Changes in wildfire abundance and severity are quite clearly linked to human activity, and this film was another way for me to better understand our impact on the earth and what we can do to make a positive difference,” Smith said.
As the film opened, the audience was immediately pulled into the flames. Harrowing point of view footage and emotional recounts from residents of Paradise, Calif., who lost their homes in the Camp Fire that scorched over 150,000 acres in 2018 set the stage for the wildfire crisis at hand. The darkening skies, wind-blown flames, audio from frantic 911 calls and radio chatter from overwhelmed firefighters made the fear and heat palpable in the seats of the auditorium.
This portrayal of the ways in which wildfire affects our society is one of the film’s strengths — it gives voice to those who have been affected by the rapidly expanding fires across our country and brings their experience to people who have not felt wildfires’ effects.
This narrative was balanced with a solutions-based approach that critiqued current strategies of fire management and pointed to ongoing wildfire research and generational ecological knowledge.
Fire researchers shared methods for forest management that limit carbon emissions and promote fire as a natural entity, approaches that shift away from logging practices like clearcuts and thinning and toward the use of prescribed burns. Insights from members of the Yurok tribe shed light on how fire can be used as a tool to stimulate new vegetation growth and balance ecological dynamics for the benefit of flora and fauna.
The film gave actionable advice for homeowners to protect their property, promoting the use of fire-proof building materials and the importance of creating defensible space between their house and the surrounding vegetation.
The success of “Elemental” can be traced to the expert voices that crafted its narrative. The cinematographic experience of director Tripp Jennings paired with the specialized knowledge of executive producer Ralph Bloemers created a well-balanced film that was both artful in its presentation and clear in its message.
After the screening of the film, both Jennings and Bloemers joined the audience via Zoom, along with Rick O'Rourke, a prominent voice in the film and member of the Cultural Fire Management Council, to discuss their work on the film over the past several years. Ryan Hughes, Forest Fire Management Officer for the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, and Lauren Prinzing, an epidemiologist for the Vermont Department of Health Division of Environmental Health, participated in the panel in-person to contribute local perspectives. Facilitated by Geography Professor Joseph Holler, the panel offered more context and details about the film, related its themes to issues close to home in Vermont.
Bloemers offered a call to action, asking attendees to consider what each of us can do to reshape our relationship with wildfire, shifting away from a reliance on politicians and big-decision makers toward initiatives like Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Along that theme, Jennings emphasized the open-mindedness needed to adopt the changes required for survival in a world with wildfire.
For O’Rourke, that starts with having conversations about wildfires at a young age, particularly in communities that lie in the wildland-urban interface, the zone of transition between human settlement and forest. He stated that this type of education will be essential to informing communities about the science behind wildfire management and how to be prepared when smoke fills the sky.
Focusing on Vermont forests specifically, Hughes underlined how we cannot control fire, stating that “nature is far better at taking care of itself than we people are.” We instead must use it as a management tool to proactively maintain forest health and prevent large-scale, damaging fires. This sentiment contributed to his message that fire is a benefit to the landscape and that we as humans must view it as such.
Prinzing emphasized the relevance of her work as an epidemiologist to wildfires and outlined initiatives to help people when air quality deteriorates — particularly those with existing respiratory conditions and others who may not have access to indoor shelter with clean air. The solution, Prinzing said, will come from interagency collaboration at both the national and local levels.
When asked about her main takeaways from the evening, A.J. Rossbach ’24, a member of the Middlebury Fire Department, appreciated the specific insights into wildfire in Vermont because most media tends to focus on wildfire in the west. With hopes of a career in fire management, Rossbach said that those local perspectives, as well as the research and knowledge presented in the film, provided her with information that will be useful in her future employment.
Walking away from the film, Smith expressed appreciation and a desire to take action and spread its message.
“This and similar media should be introduced everywhere. It can be to begin the educational process from state to state, city to city, no matter how close or distant from the area a fire hazard may seem to be,” Smith said.
At its core, “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” asks all of us to invest in a sustainable future with wildfire, sparking a paradigm shift in how we perceive and address it, while offering hope and attainable solutions in the face of climate change.
