VIDEO: Idaho needs more firefighters, so much so that it makes the list of in-demand jobs for the state. With more than a hundred annual openings
According to the Workforce Development Council, over a hundred annual openings exist.
One of the places future firefighters can go to learn the necessary skills to enter the field is the College of Southern Idaho’s Fire Science program.
“The first semester is teaching you how to do it,” said Brad Buehler, the lead fire science instructor. “We’re teaching you how to engage these fires and how to do it safely. The second is basically the why. Why do we do this? We understand how we can prevent these in the first place because we can save a lot more lives if we know how to prevent these fires than just engaging them.”