Fire Service Technology students at College of Western Idaho (CWI) have been privileged this semester to be trained by professionals from the Idaho Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the first time in the program’s history. The training, which has included entry-level wildland firefighting skills as well as a day of field training in Idaho City, has enabled students to garner hands-on experience in the field of fire service.
“BLM provided exceptional instruction to these students,” said Darrin Rapskof, Director of Fire Service Technology. “They brought in relevant equipment and experienced staff who are passionate about the wildland firefighter and taught a dynamic class. The training included a day in the mountains above Idaho City where they hiked, cut lines, read maps, used fire setting devices and were taught several vital skills to keep them safe and be part of a professional wildland crew.”
“The wildland firefighting week with BLM was one of my favorite weeks during my time at the CWI Fire Academy,” said Fire Service Technology student, Brax Bujak. “The crew from BLM did a great job at educating us in the classroom and then gave us the opportunity to go up to Idaho City to practice and apply all the skills and techniques we had learned in the classroom. This experience was made possible because the BLM crew came in every day with high energy, excitement, and knowledge about the skills and techniques we would be practicing throughout the week.”
The Fire Service Technology program application period for the next academy runs Jan. 3 – March 9, 2022. Visit the Fire Service Technology page online, or call 208.562.2671 to learn more.
