The Southwest Conservation Corps, the United State Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management invites you to join the Veterans Fire Corps for an on the job training experience in forestry, conservation, and wildland fire fuels management. Our office is seeking physically fit military veterans between the ages of 21 and 40 who can relocate for 6 month terms of service. The program is designe
d to provide recent era veterans with the technical skill and physical ability for service in federal wildland firefighting careers. The Veterans Fire Corps is an immersive experience in conservation and land management. Over the course of a six month program members will live, work and learn on public lands in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The program is composed of approximately 20% classroom and 80% conservation project work. Throughout the program members will live in a small cohort and work to complete critical fuels reduction projects in association with federal project partners from the United States Forest Service. All programs are 26 week AmeriCorps National Service on-the-job training programs and feature four primary components:
1. Wilderness Orientation – 5-6 day backcountry service project involving traditional conservation trail work. This component is designed to physically prepare members for their season while providing time for orientation to the history of land management and conservation work as well as the ecology of southwestern forests. Orientation typically involves 1-2 hours of physical training, 6 hours of project work, and 2-3 hours of lecture and discussion each day.
2. Wildland Fire Training – Between 2 and 5 weeks of intensive training in Wildland Fire Fighting. Each day will involve up to 2 hours of physical training and 8 – 10 hours of classroom time.
3. Fire Fuels Project Work – 20 weeks of on the job experience working as a fuels crew member on public lands throughout Arizona. Crews typically work 10.5 hour days 4-8 days at a time with additional time allocated to education, physical training, and other activities each day. Members have 2 – 5 days off every two weeks depending on crew schedules.
4. Prescribed Fire Operations – Members will partner with federal fire fuels staff to utilize fire to restore forest health. Fire assignments vary by season and are based on weather and fuel conditions on each forest district.
