Building skills and knowledge with hands on training and experience is one way the VCRCD team develops professionally to aid in conservation efforts. With the diligent coordination from our fire team and funding from CAL Fire, VCRCD was able to host two field training courses related to fire preparedness and restoration. Having also been awarded a workforce development grant from the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, two members from both the fire team and restoration team had the opportunity to participate and become certified as a fire fighter type II (FFT2) and basic faller (FAL 3). Along with the VCRCD involvement, it is greatly appreciated that the burn boss Woody Bouska was able and willing to train a new wave of individuals who were eager to learn more about fire preparedness.
The FFT2 training involved several hours of online training that went over safety and knowledge of wildland fire fighting tactics and protocols. The field day incorporated the basic knowledge learned in the online courses as well as hands on learning of hose lays, drip torch assembly and usage, building a fire break line and completion of an arduous pack test to be certified. The basic faller (chainsaw) training entailed a day in the classroom as well multiple days in the field to obtain certification. The field days incorporated learning specific chainsaw techniques and working through different scenarios fallers would be met with on a day-to-day basis. In addition to the chainsaw work, the FFT2 skills learned in the previous training were put to the test, by setting up and lighting four pile burns with the material that was cut.
These trainings reiterated the importance of teamwork and keeping a conscious mind of how your impact and actions change the land around you. The skills and partnerships acquired at these courses will directly improve VCRCD to meet deliverables on multiple grants. One of those grants being from CAL Fire and will work to incorporate prescribed fire on private lands to help restore the health of ecosystems and reduce hazardous fuels.
