Fire academy prepares Barstow explorers for future

ANGELUS OAKS • Wildland fires have burned thousands of acres of the San Bernardino National Forest this year, but five Barstow fire explorers learned the first steps to fight them at an Angelus Oaks firefighting academy last week.

Explorers Cody Fowler, Loren Nichols, Britney Randa, Derek Roman and M. Tristin Ortega attended the 18th annual Inland Empire Fire Exploring Association academy at the Mile High Pines Camp from Oct. 14-18. Barstow Fire Department explorer leader Lorraine Barnes and Cpt. Jamie Williams volunteered at the academy. All five of the Barstow explorers passed their tests and were awarded five national wildland firefighting certifications, while only 73 percent of those that attended the academy received the certifications. The certifications are the same that are given to beginning firefighters, according to Barnes.

Barnes said the Barstow Explorer Post 361 has attended the academy since 1991.

The association holds camps that specialize in a particular field of emergency response from structure fires to automobile extraction each year. The 2009 academy focused on wildland fires and was taught by volunteers from the 30 explorer posts that attended, the U.S. Forest Service employees from the San Bernardino National Forest Fire, and Aviation Management. The Forest Service instructed the 231 explorers in clearing fire lines, falling trees, hose operation and more during the five-day program.

The explorers also got the chance to see a demonstration of how Forest Service firefighters rappel from helicopters to reach isolated areas faster.

Fowler said he found how wildland firefighters got themselves and their equipment into remote areas interested him.

“I liked when they came down from the helicopter,” Fowler said. “The progressive hose laying was cool, too. You would have teams of, like, five people and one person would handle the nozzle. Everyone had backpacks that were packed with hoses. When you got to the end of the line each person would take the hose out of the backpack of the person in front of them and connect it. It’s amazing what the wildland firefighters go through.”

Although the Forest Service provided most of the equipment and training, the academy is set up to allow the explorers to run most of the day-to-day operations themselves, according to Barnes.

The explorers were divided into fire squads that were led by lieutenants and squad leaders. An explorer fire chief, assistant chief and four division chiefs oversaw the operations of all 24 squads at the academy. The academy leadership was selected at a leadership conference that was held in September. Barnes said that experience in other leadership roles and years as an explorer played roles in making the picks. Fowler was the only Barstow explorer to attend the leadership conference and he received the rank of lieutenant.

Barnes said that Barstow Explorer Post 361 is always accepting new members, but they must be at least entering high school and between the ages of 14 and 20. She said anyone interested in joining can visit the Barstow Fire Department Station 361, 861 Barstow Road, or call Barnes at (760) 256-2254 for more information.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or dheldreth@desertdispatch.com