Submitted by his parents
Shane was raised on a 7‚500 acre row crop farm in Melba‚ Idaho. Shane spent his summers working on the farm where he grew to love the outdoors. He did it all – hunting‚ fishing‚ camping and riding ATV’s. He knew from a young age that he wanted to fly someday. The summer he was fifteen‚ he started working with the helicopter crew that did the farm’s agricultural spraying. He became hooked on helicopters from that summer on.
He attended Melba schools where he was involved in FFA and also the football and basketball programs. By high school basketball was his love; he graduated in 1998. He went on to continue his education at Boise State University for the next four years. He was hired as a wildland firefighter with the Sula Crew on the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana during the summer of 2000. He developed his skill at falling trees and became a ‘Class C’ sawyer early in his second season on the Sula Crew.
At the end of his second season‚ Shane had decided to apply for a spot on a helirappelling crew and was accepted on the Indianola Helitack Crew. He developed a great respect for fire and enjoyed the thrill of rappelling. By the end of his third season‚ Shane had decided to pursue a full-time firefighting career. Shane’s last call to duty was clearing a helispot on the Cramer Fire on the Salmon-Challis National Forest‚ where he and his partner‚ Jeff Allen‚ were overrun by flames.
Shane’s motto in life: ‘Do what you love – So you love what you do.’
Just stopping by to pay my respects to Shane, and to say Thank you for his courage and strength. He will never be forgotten!
Starla, proud baby sister of Kenneth Nickell, LODD 4/6/99 KY
– Starla TaylorIts been 15 years. I still think of all the fun times we had shane. Miss you lots.
– Cami postIt has been 16 years, Shane will never be forgotten Shane is a true HERO
– lisaThe College of Business and Economics remembers Shane fondly, and we are proud to have had this dedicated young man as a student. There are memorial plaques on Boise State campus–one for Shane and another for his partner Jeff. The plaques are located under a tree in front Riverfront Hall, which previously served as the business building when Shane attended the university.
– The College of Business and Economics at Boise State University