VIDEO: As Alaska transitions into wildfire season, more firefighters are entering the season with a larger understanding of how to fight wildland fires. On Tuesday, 21 firefighters graduated from the Alaska Basic Wildland Firefighter Academy. The academy, sponsored by the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, is one of four targeted training academies the division has this spring.
โThese are some of our newest and brightest firefighters that are joining the Alaska workforce,โ Nathan Zalewski, the Academy Coordinator, said. According to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, this training, in particular, provides firefighters with more knowledge of fire behavior and wildfire suppression. During the nearly two-week training, cadets spent around 14 hours a day working with chainsaws and pumps, and they gained both life and leadership skills.
โEssentially, what they are learning is how to suffer through adversity. How to grow through challenge and how to become future leaders in our workforce,โ Zalewski said. The training comes as the state is just over a month into its wildfire season. Both the state and the Municipality of Anchorage pushed up the start date to March 17 instead of April due to dry conditions at the time.
