“Fire!”: Students Train With the Alpine Hotshots at Rocky Mountain

Eagle Rock School students dig line during the "Snow fire" exercise, coached by Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent Paul Cerda. Image from the National Park Service's page.

"Punctuality shows respect." "Train like you fight." "Crew cohesion is important." In wildland firefighting these sayings are more than words — and they became life lessons for six students from Eagle Rock School, an alternative residential school in Estes Park, Colorado, during a five-week wildland fire class.

The program

"Fire!," in its second year, linked the students with members of the Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew and ecologists from Rocky Mountain National Park and the NPS Continental Divide Research Learning Center. It is built on experiential, hands-on learning, including physical training standards.

It grew out of existing ties. An Eagle Rock graduate had served on the Alpine Hotshots for four fire seasons: Rafael Mcleod graduated in May 2011 before joining, and Vidal Carrillo became a hotshot in 2012, still on the crew while studying at Colorado State University.

"After Vidal and Rafael's success as members of the hotshot crew, we knew several kids were interested in wildland fire," said Superintendent Paul Cerda. "Ben and I decided we needed to build on that, partly as an opportunity for diversity recruiting." Learning center ecologist Ben Baldwin proposed a citizen fire science pilot, like the center's other citizen science programs. The first idea — a 40-hour lecture course to certify students as firefighters — was dropped. "These are students who were not going to get much out of sitting in the classroom," Cerda said. "They are used to more experiential learning through a hands-on approach."

Learning center staffer Holly Nickel refined the curriculum around four principles: safety, physical training, fire ecology and fire suppression.

Alpine IHC Captain Mark Mendonca shows students the crew's hand tools. Image from the National Park Service's page.

What students did

• Memorized the standard firefighting orders — "the 10s" — and watch-out situations — "the 18s" — woven into daily safety lessons.
• Took the fire fit challenge in the first week and again on the last day: a mile-and-a-half run and as many push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups as possible in three minutes.
• Studied tree health with park forester Brian Verhulst and succession and fire's effects on ecosystems with park ecologist Scott Esser.
• Worked through suppression scenarios at a sand table, a big sandbox with props.
• Spent a day in a field scenario with Cerda and Captain Mark Mendonca: in full protective gear, they hiked into a simulated fire, got a briefing, dug fireline, followed an escape route and practiced deploying fire shelters, then debriefed.

The inaugural class (yellow shirts) with the Alpine Hotshots after the Snow fire exercise. Image from the National Park Service's page.

What they took away

"The students learned more in this course than just the science of wildland firefighting," Baldwin said. "They learned about the hotshot's core values of safety, duty, respect and integrity. They learned about hard work, teamwork, and personal development. And they learned the importance of physical fitness."

• A 17-year-old from Los Angeles, inspired by Carrillo, said the class changed his view that all fires are simply bad and must be put out; he now wants to become a hotshot himself, drawn by a job that is dangerous and challenging but always puts safety first.
• A 19-year-old said working with the crew pushed him to sharpen his life skills, teamwork and leadership, and that meeting park staff opened doors for his future.
• A student from the same East Los Angeles neighborhood as Cerda said the class went far beyond her expectations — she got to use the crew's tools and even a fire shelter, and came away with new respect for firefighters.

An Eagle Rock instructor called the program a strong example of the school's partnership with the park, good for diversity, with internships and experiences that have been life-changing for many students.

Eagle Rock School was founded to improve young people's lives by promoting community, integrity and citizenship, serving students who haven't succeeded in traditional schools and offering professional development to strengthen schools locally and nationally. It is funded by the nonprofit American Honda Education Corporation, founded in February 1991.

Sources

Based on "Students, Alpine Hotshots Form Bond through Rocky Mountain Fire Training Program," Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain, with students' and a school instructor's remarks rewritten in hubnx's own words.