Students practice digging a fire line. 
Students practice digging a fire line. 
Instructor Sam Black provides feedback on how to improve the fire line. 
Instructor Sam Black provides feedback on how to improve the fire line. 
A completed section of fire line 
Instructors Sam Black (left) and Rick Snyder train the students in fire shelter.
A new class of wildland firefighting students at Camp Riverbend got their first practice with a live fire this week.
The 10 students worked on a practice burn on the grounds of the youth transitional facility. They practiced digging lines around the edge of the fire, and did some training in how to use portable fire shelters.
When their training is complete, these youth have the chance to become certified Type 2 wildland firefighters, giving them a real-life job opportunity when they are back in the community.
Their training was led by instructors Sam Black and Rick Snyder, who recently became the facility’s coordinator for VESOY (Vocation and Education Services for Older Youth) programs. Both of them recently became certified to teach, and this was their first class as primary instructors for the firefighting program.
Photos by Ben Heckman
