This past March, Chuck Russell, normally the Wyoming Wind River/ Bighorn Basin Fire Management Officer, was in Washington, DC on a budget detail when he was asked if he’d ever heard of Team Rubicon. Chuck knew that Team Rubicon (TR) was a Disaster Response Veterans Service Organization, but not much more. He certainly didn’t expect to become the BLM National Office Fire Veteran Coordinator in charge of a brand new BLM/ TR partnership that was being formed. Fast forward a couple months and Chuck was arranging classes, choosing a cadre of experienced trainers, and teaching military Veterans from across the United States how to fight wildfires on public land. We caught up with Chuck on Lopez Island, Washington, at the last of the five classes offered to TR members, on July 10-13, 2015.
Chuck told us his favorite part about the classes, and the partnership as a whole, was the engagement of the students. “They’re all just jazzed for the opportunity. We’re giving ourselves the opportunity to serve them while they serve on their public lands. It’s a great program.”
During the class on Lopez, 30 TR members and 10 local firefighters from San Juan, Lopez, and Orcas Islands earned their Type II certification. Chuck told us his favorite part about the classes, and the partnership as a whole, was the engagement of the students. “They’re all just jazzed for the opportunity. We’re giving ourselves the opportunity to serve them while they serve on their public lands. It’s a great program.”
Chuck is not alone in his enthusiasm. Kelly Woods, the Great Basin Training Center Manager now in her 24th fire season, said the program was even better than she expected. As the only female trainer in the cadre, she was especially impressed with the ratio of female to male students, as it was higher than any class she has ever taught. “This experience is better than I expected, and I love seeing the students getting so excited about fighting fire.”
Perhaps no one is happier with the BLM/ TR partnership than the Team Rubicon members themselves. Vince Moffitt, Incident Management Team Chief for TR, and a retired municipal fire department firefighter, said the BLM’s training cadre is top-notch, the best he’s ever seen. “There is no doubt about their experience and passion, and the best part is hearing about lessons they’ve learned.” About the partnership, he says that it’s a great fit. “TR’s members are uniquely suited to fight wildfires because of the skills they learned in the military, and because of TR’s disaster recovery experience,” he said. “We already use FEMA practices and ROSS. Now we are learning the BLM language and will be able to work well together.”
At the end of this fifth and final Team Rubicon class of the season, in total, more than 200 TR members became red-carded Type II qualified firefighters. By the end of July, five TR Teams had deployed to wildfires near Fairbanks, Alaska, with the last two crews consisting of some of the Lopez Island trained firefighters. These TR crews returned from Alaska exhausted but happy, with the general feedback: it’s hard and fun, and you’re working your butt off. “There is just no other program like this,” Vince added. “We are very excited about this opportunity and the possibilities it creates.”
-Story by Jamie Mobley and photo by BLM Oregon.
