More than 60 Idaho National Guardsmen completed wildland firefighting training in Boise in June, bringing the number of Guardsmen available to assist the Idaho Department of Lands in the event the governor declares a state of emergency to approximately 170.
“Part of the appeal of the National Guard is serving the state and there’s not really a better way to do it than to fight wildfires,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Vincelli, Idaho National Guard director of joint/domestic plans and training.
The four-day certification course was offered multiple times throughout June and qualified Soldiers and Airmen to earn an Incident Qualification Card, commonly known as a Red Card certification.
The Idaho National Guard began certifying Citizen-Soldiers and Citizen-Airmen in 2020.