Fire Academy Certifies Explorers For Wildland Firefighting

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For the 18th year, the Inland Empire Fire Explorers Association hosted its Fire Academy. This year it was held in the San Bernardino Mountains at Mile High Pines Camp, and FDNNTV.com's Barbara Brooks takes us into their grueling five day Academy where this year 73 percent of those attending passed all their tests, received their certifications, and can now go on to become seasonal firefighters. 

This year's theme for the wildland firefighting training is "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" and this particular training is very popular with the Explorers since it only comes around every five years. In other years they are taught structural firefighting, vehicle fires and extrication, hazmat, and confined space rescue.

The Academy is set up like a paramilitary organization with drill instructors that push them from just after sunup until about midnight, with much information to learn each day. Steven Zamora the Division Chief in charge of Public Information for the Academy explains,"Last night we had one class, it's usually taught in two weeks, we had it in one night."

However, that hard work comes many rewards, and possibly a job. "One of the most critical things this year is these young people are going to walk away with the type of certifications they need," explained Art Bishop, president of the Association. "They're going to get ICS 100, S 130, S 190 and L 180. Those are all the things they need to actually walk into a beginning job in the U.S. Forest Service."

The 231 Explorers chosen to attend this academy were picked from all Explorers between the ages of 14 and 21 in both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. They were instructed by more than 100 U.S. Forest Service crew members.  

These Explorers, from mostly urban areas, were taught mobile fire attack, simple and progressive hose lays, mobile operations, hand line construction and more. "This is a real honor for them to be here and this is wonderful training for them," said Daniel Elliott of the Academy.  

Originally, this Academy was run by the state but when that stopped, the Bishop family formed a non-profit group and took on the challenge for their son who was an Explorer at that time. "24 kids was our first academy at a cost of around $11 hundred. Which my wife and I paid for the majority of it. This year the academy, our 18th academy, with the 30 departments, 231 kids at a cost of around $40-some thousand dollars," Bishop explained.

The costs are all paid for by the Explorers themselves. Some cities pay for their young people while other posts earn the money to be able to attend. During the Academy, most of the day-to-day operations are run by the young people so they can see what the fire service is really like.

This year's Academy honored the two Los Angeles County firefighters, Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones, who lost their lives in the Station Fire with a black mourning  band across the logo of their Academy T-shirts.


Author:Barbara Brooks - FDNNTV.com