An effort by Front Range Community College to train the next generation of wildland firefighters will help bolster the ranks of local fire crews now battling blazes burning through suburban neighborhoods almost year round, say two local fire officials.
“Right now we just can’t get enough young qualified people to do the job,” said Keith Long, assistant chief with the Mountain View Fire Protection District. “I am 60 years old, and what we are doing now is just trying to train someone to replace me.”
The wildland firefighter training courses now being offered at the FRCC Larimer County campus, will give the type of on-the-ground tutoring needed to fight the types of fire that roared through Louisville and Superior on Dec. 30, Long said. “You just don’t get that type of training through reading a book. This kind of course will help.”
The Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development Center is offering scholarships for community members who want to begin careers of wildland firefighting by taking the courses. The courses — and scholarships — are being offered to anyone wanting to fill a growing need for wildland firefighters, said Jennifer Lee, director of FRCC’s forestry and natural resources programs, in a news release.
“Unfortunately, the number and intensity of wildland fires has grown in recent years, so our communities need more firefighters,” Lee said. “That opens many more doors for employment and makes the once seasonal job of wildland firefighter more of a year-round occupation.”
Students can earn a certification in wildland fire in just one semester at FRCC by taking four courses:
- Introduction to wildland fire
- Firefighter training
- Wildland Fire Practitioner Lab
- Wildfire chain saws
The classes begin Feb. 1, so now is the time to apply, Lee said. Fill out Larimer County’s training request form and then register for classes through FRCC.
“This is amazingly simple for folks who qualify,” Lee said. “Most people hear back about their scholarship application within two to three days. And while they are waiting to hear back, they can register for these classes to save their spot.”
The Front Range classes will especially help volunteer rural fire districts who can’t afford to pay for training, said Longmont Assistant Fire Chief John Weaver.
“The more people and resources we can have on hand to fight these types of fires is something I will support,” Weaver said.
Weaver, who helped fight the Marshal fire, said wildland fires were traditionally a seasonal phenomenon and federal, state and local fire departments could hire part-time crews to handle them. Those days, it seems, are largely over, Weaver said.
“The Marshal fire happened on December 30,” Weaver said. “The more resources we have on hand to handle this new territory we are in, the better,” he said.
