UMC Natural Resources Students Complete Wildfire Training and Refresher
For the past six years, students in the Natural Resources Program at UMC have received extra training that qualifies them to work with natural resource agencies around the country. Fires—both prescribed and wild—are key components of resource management. Before individuals can work on any fire operations, they must complete basic level courses in fire weather and behavior, wildland firefighting, and firefighter safety designed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Board. This qualifies them to help agencies with prescribed burns and to fight wild fires in Minnesota and across the country.
Each year current UMC students and graduates have had the opportunity to “go out west” on twenty-person hand crews, engine crews, and initial attack modules. Students from UMC have worked on fires in Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, and some students were also in Texas when fire crews assisted with recovery of debris from the space shuttle disaster.
Each spring students in UMC’s forestry class attend 32 extra hours of training in the evenings to qualify. Fifty students, including two from NDSU and one from Crookston High School, completed their training April 16 with a field session on equipment and an a live burn. With the completion of the 2004 training sessions, UMC has now trained more than 225 students at the basic firefighter level. Each year those students who have previously received the basic training are required to take a safety refresher course held in conjunction with the new trainees. On Monday, April 12, more than 50 students and graduates joined the trainees in class. Firefighter safety, causes of injury and fatality, new procedures, and updates are covered as well as learning how to deploy a fire shelter for self-protection.
The training is coordinated by UMC’s Phil Baird, Nico Bennett, and Tom Feiro. The instruction is provided by agencies who hire these newly trained individuals. Personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Nature Conservancy volunteer their time to train students and bring real life experiences to the classroom and field. The UMC Natural Resources Program thanks these agencies for all that they have given. This opportunity provides the agencies with trained applicants, an advantage in the job market.
Over the next few weeks those who wish to take the physical agility test requirement will be out on the track. Wildland firefighters must take a “pack test” each year to test their physical stamina. The pack test requires a person to carry a 45-pound pack for three miles within 45 minutes.
Written by Tom Feiro
Edited by Andrew Svec
Posted 05/05/2004