Greetings from the field! This past week has been busy. Monday started out with us collecting new fuel samples, due to the fact that the ones we collected last weekend were no good because the power cut out while they were doing the studies. We did our first PT hike with the Forest Service, prepared vehicles to go out of state to respond the fires in Colorado, and completed a new certification for cross cut training so that we can operate in the wilderness. On top of all this crew members opted to learn more and attended voluntary training involving med flight, and learning about the aerial assets we have available to us on the fire line. Moral is high as ever due to the fact that today we finally received our Red Cards, and got clear hot to work as Administratively Determined Personal on the fire line by our partnering agency. We helped with logistics on the Parkers Peak fire by running supplies to the command center as needed, and then we completed classes needed for us to open our FFT1 (Fire Fighter Type 1) task books. The next day we got to work see the results of another fire and discuss with experienced engine captains who responded to the fire about the results and complications of fighting wildfire in an urban interface. It was a sobering moment for us all looking at the charred remains of what was once three different families houses, but it made us realize that we are indeed partnered with an organization that is training us to do valuable and needed work.
