Jason Porter
Where Are They Now? | September 2024 | By Ashley Butler
Meet Jason Porter,
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Former Panguitch FFA member who now works as an Assistant Fire Management Officer for the Bureau of Land Management in Uintah County. He developed a love for the outdoors, growing up in Escalante where the majority of his family was employed by the logging industry until the sawmill shut down.
In regards to the FFA, Jason says he never even thought about becoming a member. Other than the little he knew from his mom about her involvement in high school, it wasn’t something he was necessarily interested in. However, after attending National Convention as a Freshman due to the encouragement of one of his friends, he was hooked.
Jason looks back fondly on his experiences with his SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) project, but that doesn’t mean he was without his fair share of loss and setbacks. Jason explains that during his freshman year he took out a youth loan to begin his own cow/calf operation. Unfortunately, in that first year, both of his calves died, leaving him no choice but to sell the heifers in order to close out the loan and start again. Although the first year didn’t turn out like he had hoped; the following year he was able to borrow a larger amount and purchase 8 bred heifers. From there he not only was able to cover his loan obligations, but add to his herd each year moving forward. It’s an experience he says taught him a great deal about financial responsibility, hard work, commitment, resiliency and being emotionally strong.
The skills he gained from his SAE project are no doubt ones he still uses today, but the FFA experiences that Jason says shaped him the most were those that exposed him to leadership and public speaking, and are what ultimately helped him decide on his career.
“[The LDEs (Leadership Development Events)] that I participated in really brought the shy kid in me out of my shell”.
Jason says what hooked him with wildland fire management (something he had only planned on doing during summers while he went to college in range management) was the heavy emphasis on leadership and teamwork.
“I found what I felt was the perfect place to put the leadership skills I had learned to work and to build them further. As fire leaders we often have to address large groups of diverse people: from briefing our personnel, to addressing concerns with landowners and stakeholders, and even speaking with the media and government officials. Those basic skills I learned in FFA laid the foundation to being comfortable and excited to take on leadership roles and responsibilities. I’m often told I have great public speaking skills and I always attribute that to what I gained from my years in FFA and the LDEs I participated in.”
When Jason is out working on a fire, he typically is in the role of incident commander, operations chief or division supervisor. The leadership of these roles can entail managing anywhere from dozens to hundreds of individuals along with a mix of resources depending on the fire assignment. This is where he develops plans, tactics, and direct resources to get the work accomplished and ensure that the firefighters are doing so as safely as possible.
Jason says there are many ‘favorites’ about his job!
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“One of my favorite things is the people I work with, we are like family and really rely and depend on one another. Another is the places I go. I have seen some amazing, remote places few will ever see. I have been able to fight fire in every western state and even in Canada and Alaska. I also love that the job is not very routine. Every fire is different and offers different challenges and opportunities.”
When asked what role the FFA played in helping him get to where he is today, Jason said,
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“I couldn’t imagine my life without my FFA experience. It set the foundation for leadership skills I still use every day, and just the simple concepts of working hard, caring about something bigger than myself, and taking responsibility shaped who I am today. I think few programs teach our youth that level of self-reliance and work ethic, while still teaching them how to be team players and contributors. These are basic life skills I try to teach my own kids from my experiences, and instill in my firefighters as well. One of my greatest joys has been to see my own son actively participating in FFA and learning these same lessons.”
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When asked what advice he would give to a high school student that is thinking about joining FFA, Jason said,
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“Just do it, just try it. Really, what have you got to lose? There’s always been that idea that FFA is just for the farm kids, that’s simply not the case. There is something in FFA for everyone. Your skills, talents, hobbies, or interests can be applied, harnessed, fulfilled, and grown through this organization. I promise that FFA can open doors to you that you didn’t know existed. You’ll likely find qualities and abilities in yourself that you didn’t know existed.”
One skill that Jason gained from being in the FFA that he credits to helping him throughout his life is communication.
“ [Communication] is one of the most important things to being a good leader. Whether at work, serving in my community, or in leading my own family, communication is so vital and important in being successful, and in helping others be successful as well.”
Jason believes that all members should find a way to stay involved and support the FFA after they graduate and move on, in order to help the organization continue to thrive for future generations. He’s grateful for the opportunities he has to volunteer and assist at the local level as well as the relationship that his work has built with that same FFA program; allowing him the opportunity to share what he’s passionate about with members often.