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“There are plenty of jobs out there. You have to be willing to make a short-term sacrifice for a long-term goal,” said Chief James Brakebill. The complexities of firefighting and how the need for well-trained firefighters is driving new educational programs, degrees, and job placement is what motived the Chief to develop this program with Chief Tracy Rickman, the Fire Technology coordinator who helped shape Rio Hondo College Fire Academy.
Firefighters at one time were volunteers. Not anymore. Requirements are more demanding. Fires are more frequent, hotter, and burning longer. What used to be a 10,000-acre fire is now a 100,000-acre fire and the wildfire season is year-round.
Chief Brakebill and Chief Rickman wrote a curriculum for a Wildfire Academy at Copper Mountain College. They received funding from the Wildland Fire Academy at Hondo and got the first class off and running in April 2021.
The Wildland Fire Academy at Copper Mountain College is an 8-week certification program through the NWCG (National Wildland Coordinating Group). NWCG provides national leadership to wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
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Students will learn fire technology, fire prevention, building construction, fire behavior, fire detection systems, and hazardous materials, including progressive hose lays, cutting lines, and working with chainsaws. Additional instruction will include safety, short shelter deployments, physical fitness training, and weather-related fire behavior. Students are required to be educated before going into the program. For example, math is essential to determine the pump discharge and pressure to deliver the correct water to extinguish the fire. In addition, students need to learn the computerized fire equipment and have a command of English.
The fire service is now so diverse it includes hazardous materials technicians, rescue technicians, Company officers, and certified fire equipment mechanics. Most emergency calls today require EMT responders (Emergency Medical Technicians). Paramedic training is a minimum of a year. EMT is an entire semester-length class. At Copper Mountain College, EMT training is about 207 hours a semester, whereas the standard semester time is 48 to 54 hours.
The newly developed Wildfire Course at CMC will enable a student to get a certificate in Wildland Fire Technology (different than Wildfire Technology). Chief Brakebill and Chief Rickman are currently working on developing a curriculum for an Associate degree.
This program serves residents and those traveling for this training. It also helps agencies like the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, County Fire, and CalFire to invest in local people. San Bernardino County Fire has partnered with Copper Mountain College to recruit EMT graduates. There are additional opportunities through Cal Fire and Barstow’s Marine Corps logistics base. Several Cadets from Copper Mountain College’s Wildland Fire Academy have already received job offers and employment.
With the current Federal Government resources like the California Promise Program and other grant programs, Chief Brakebill said, “the only expense to CMC students is for their boots and maybe their uniform pants.”
Chief Rickman, Chief Brakebill, and Sandy Smith, Foundation Director at CMC Foundation, teamed up with Firehouse Subs and received the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant for $17,000 for hoses, personal protective equipment, and hand tools.
The appropriate tools and well-trained first responders make all the difference for communities. The Wildfire training at Copper Mountain College provides the tools and opportunities that make a difference in a student’s life.
