VIDEO: An associate professor at Fresno State was called to help on the Palisades Fire in Southern California.
That experience, and working on other wildfires, became the inspiration for a new forensic academy.
Fresno State Anthropology Associate Professor Chelsey Juarez, Ph.D., was one of hundreds called in to help when the Palisades Fire erupted in January.
“He just said, ‘Things are looking pretty bad down here in the Palisades, and I need you to be ready to deploy.'” Juarez said.
She works as a forensic anthropologist for the California Office of Emergency Services.
She and a team of other anthropologists help with wildfires to identify human remains.
In addition, she ran “Just-In-Time” training on-site.
It’s essentially a crash course to pass on their knowledge to first responders and urban search and rescue teams.
“We brought several hundred individuals that were first responders, USAR from the United States and international to come through the tent to train them before going into the field, so they know what thermally altered human remains look like,” Juarez said.
