The rise of wildland fires across the country created a need for more specialized firefighters to stop those flames in their tracks and Fox Valley Technical College is the only place in Wisconsin to get that certification.
Jon Kellermann, a Wildland Fire and Natural Resource Instructor for the program says, “We have two programs for wildland fire. We have a technical diploma, which is a one-year program, and then we have an associate degree, which is a two-year program.”
On the first day of training, students dug a trench, which if there were a real wildfire, would prevent it from spreading and causing more damage. Lucas Stabeneu, a current DNR employee in Natural Heritage Conservation and wildland fire student says, “When you’re out west out in the mountains where you can’t use machinery you have to use lines like this and actual manual labor.”