Program Overview

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ABOUT CONSERVATION CORPS—FIRE
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SCA's Conservation Corps—Fire program engages young adults in meaningful service learning opportunities to support resource managers in the protection of natural resources and Wildland Urban Interface communities.

As part of SCA’s Conservation Corp program, the Fire program works to provide the human resources to support government and non-profit initiatives to conserve and restore North America’s natural resources and protect Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities. The Conservation Corps—Fire program coordinates teams of volunteers for projects ranging in length from 3 to 12 months at conservation sites across the country. Projects are designed to:

Provide agencies and organizations with the people power to complete fire initiatives to conserve and restore healthy natural resource areas and protect WUI areas. This is regularly accomplished through fire monitoring, fire management, and community outreach and education.
Provide volunteers with practical field experience to benefit their professional development and commitment to conservation service.

Conservation Corps—Fire program and field staff members provide agencies with management and logistical support to design and implement successful projects, including:

Position description and work plan development.
Volunteer recruitment and placement, training and oversight.
Project documentation and evaluation to measure successes and opportunities for growth.
Multi-year project continuity establishment.
Housing, transportation and equipment logistics.

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CONSERVATION CORPS—FIRE PROJECTS
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Fire Education & Outreach

In 2001, the Fire Education Corps (FEC) began working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Resources & Conservation Development (RC&D) in Idaho and Nevada. In 2002, our partners expanded to include Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and National Park Service (NPS). As new partnerships were developed, project sites grew nationwide. In 2003, the US Fish & Wildlife service (FWS) added an element of prevention and provided a unique opportunity to assist with prescribed burns. The Fire Education Corps’ main focus is to provide education and prevention messages that increase awareness of wildland fire and human caused ignitions. Primary examples include developing & implementing education curriculum for youth; developing & distributing fire safety tip cards, handouts, and flyers; home assessments; media involvement; mapping projects; community events; fuels reduction projects; and patrolling.

Fire Management

In 2004, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) steered the Fire Education Corps focus in the direction of fire management activities. The Fire Management teams primarily concentrate on prescribed fire, fuels projects, fire effects monitoring, mapping, and other manual treatments.

Community Wildfire Protection Plans

In response to developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) with the State of North Carolina in 2007, a new wildfire planning and coordination emphasis was added to the Fire Education Corps. Common CWPP efforts include collecting community data; database entry; meeting & coordinating with county rangers, fire chiefs, and emergency management officers; digitizing GIS layers; and community presentations.

Fire Monitoring

In 2003, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) piloted their fire monitoring (FIREMON) project with SCA. Since the establishment of the first successful FIREMON project, programming continues to grow nationwide. In 2006, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service (USFS) followed the BIA’s lead by adding their own fire monitoring team. The teams’ primary focus is to use monitoring protocols, basic vegetation identification techniques, GPS, and GIS to collect an array of data that can be used as a natural resource management tool. Primary duties include traversing resource areas while collecting & recording vegetation and landscape data; managing the JFIREMON database; creating GIS maps; and presenting project information and results for agencies.