Celebrating 4th Cohort Of Greater Sierra Forestry Corps Graduates

Columbia College Forestry Corps Graduation notice

Columbia, CA —   Today, all the hard work over the past sixteen weeks paid off for students as the fourth cohort of the Greater Sierra Forestry Corps held a graduation ceremony at Columbia College this morning.

The Greater Sierra Forestry Corps is a WIOA Title I financially aided program. Corps members had intensive training in Foundations in Wildland Firefighting (10 weeks) and Wildland Fire Fuels Management (6 weeks) for 16 weeks. Forest conservation, basic wildland firefighting, survival standards, engine and pump operations, backfiring techniques and equipment use, chainsaw operations, map and compass use, air operations, basic hand tool sharpening and use, fireline construction, and more were all covered in this training, which included classroom instruction, demonstration, practical field application, and work experience.

“The greatest attribute of this program is that students are immersed in various topics of the wildland fire and forestry industry sectors,” stated one of the program’s faculty, Kevin Anderson. “Every day brought new opportunities for students to gain insight, apply knowledge, and sharpen the skills needed for a successful career of their choosing. Working and learning in this cohort model provides students with a shared mission that pushes individuals to develop in a team environment.”

Stressing the importance of the program in tackling local workforce issues, Dean of Career Technical Education Brandon Price emphasized, “The Greater Sierra Forestry Corps is playing a critical role in our regional efforts to address the shortage of workers trained in fire fuels reduction and wildland firefighting.”

Corps members who complete both academic and hands-on field training in Integrated Fuels Management and Wildland Fuels Management are granted these industry-recognized credentials:

•  FEMA-NIMS-ICS-700 Introduction to the National Incident Management System,
• FEMANIMS-800 National Response Framework, FEMA ICS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System,
• FEMA ICS-200 Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response,
• S-130 Firefighter Training,
• Basic CPR & First Aid

National Wildfire Coordinating Group Certificates (NWCG):

• S-190: Overview of Wildland Behavior L-180 Wildland Fire Service Human Factors,
• OSHA-10 Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
• S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws,
• S-211 Portable Pumps and Water Use,
• HAZMAT-8 Hazardous Materials Safety Awareness