VIDEO: Some of the firefighters who battled wildland fires this year returned to the classroom to share their experiences with high school students.
The firefighters and the students they spoke to are connected through the Fire Science program at Jordan Academy for Technology & Careers. The program gives teens hands-on training before they face real-world emergencies.
The JATC program allows students to take core classes at their home high schools while spending part of the week learning firefighting science, physical skills and emotional regulation at the academy. They also offer an EMT course.
Unified Fire Authority firefighters Carson Russell and Dalton Timothy graduated from JATC in 2023. They spent this summer on the front lines of wildfires across the West.
Russell fought the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley for 14 days, working to protect homes and contain flames. He said the skills he learned at JATC — from rope tying to timed drills — prepared him for the challenge.
“I was in charge of four other people on my squad, and I was a squad boss,” Russell said.
