Pathway to Employment
Our Program
Pathway to Employment/ Wildland Fire & Urban-Interface Forestry Academy will provide training in wildland fire suppression and forest fuel management. During the Academy students will receive 10 certificates, (6) National Wildfire Coordinating Group and (4) Federal Emergency Management Agency certificates each.
The target group to attend the training program are underserved, marginalized community members who are experiencing an economic, social, or educational barrier. Former California Conservation Corps members who have timed out of the CCC program, military Veterans, justice involved youth, and graduates of the California Military Department Youth Academies.
Our Success Stories
In addition to completing the NWCG & FEMA (ICS/NIMS) Incident Command System/National Incident Management System courses, students will learn Wildland Firefighting, Intro to Fire Behavior, Intro to Fire Weather, Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service, Portable Pumps, and Wildfire Chainsaws. These are the required courses to become a NWCG qualified Wildland Firefighter. At the completion of the Wildland Fire Academy students will be qualified to work as a seasonal or full time Wildland Firefighter with the state, local govt, private sector or federal agencies.
Federal, State, & Local Government
Graduates will be qualified to work for...
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Bureau of Indian Affairs
CALFIRE
California State Parks
Los Angeles County Fire Department (Fire Suppression Aid)
Ventura County Fire Department (Fire Control Worker)
Goals and Objectives
The ultimate goal is to help our participants obtain a job. We teach them step by step, how to create a resume, complete and fill out a State application (STD 678), and how to navigate and apply for federal jobs on USAJOBS.GOV. This will create a robust pool of eligible and capable applicants to fill the many job openings in an industry that is looking to urgently fill its ranks. There is a severe shortage of trained and certified Wildland Firefighters and all departments and agencies in California are severely understaffed. There is an especially large vacuum to fill in the wildland federal agencies such as the US Forest Service, US Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife, etc...
CALFIRE is also hiring at an exponential rate.
Now is a great time to apply!
Real World Experience
Students will gain valuable hands-on experience in Wildland Firefighting & Fuels treatment practices such as forest thinning, constructing fuel breaks, defensible space, and hazard reduction. Physical fitness will be emphasized as well as teamwork and ethics in the workplace. Our Instructors are the leading experts in their field and will share decades of experience with the students and give them the basic knowledge to safely operate on a Fire or Fuels Crew.
Our Partnerships
We are proud to partner with a variety of organizations and businesses to support our community. Our partnerships enable us to expand our reach and provide even more resources and services to those in need.
Thank you to our proud partners...
- Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 3rd District, through their support and endorsement of a $25,000 grant.
- Riverside County Board of Supervisors 2nd District, through their support and endorsement of a $5,000 Community Improvement Development Grant
- California Fire Foundation through their support and endorsement of a $15,000 Wildfire Prevention Grant