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In February and March 2005, eight young
men received training in S-130 Basic Firefighting, S-190 Introduction
to Fire Behavior, as well as 24 hours of field training. In
April, they dug fireline, ignited, and held the line on two
prescribed fires at Mammoth Cave NP. They were called in to
work a project fire at Russell Cave NM. Now, they are ready
and waiting for their next assignment.
“Our success story is about more than
fire,” said Mammoth Cave Fire Management Officer Rich
Caldwell. “Because the first team has done so well,
we are expanding the program with Great Onyx Job Corps. In
June, twenty more students will be trained for fire duty.”
The following are statements by two of the
Great Onyx Fire Team members and another statement by Center
Director Phyllis Joy Nasados. In their own words, they clearly
express the significance of creation of the team, their training,
and work experience.
Romale Lovelace, Great Onyx firefighter,
from Columbus, Georgia: “Job Corps represented a chance
for me to gain skills to get a better job. I am currently
working in the computer technology field and intend to complete
my A+ Certification. Being on the fire team has given me an
additional employability opportunity in fire fighting. At
Russell Cave, I met an actual ‘smoke jumper’,
and I think that I might like to participate in that form
of fire fighting. I have witnessed young adults from many
different backgrounds and experiences coming together to work
as a team. It is a good feeling to know that you can depend
on others in dangerous situations like a fire.”
Tommy Moore, Great Onyx firefighter, from
Lexington, Kentucky: “I am working on my second level
in the welding trade. Welding is really as much art as it
is a vocation, and many people don’t understand that.
Fire fighting and welding have some basic similarities. Both
demand concentration, and both can be dangerous if you lose
your focus. I am originally from Chicago and my peers find
it difficult to understand how I have adjusted so well to
being in this remote environment. I was basically a city person.
Now, I feel comfortable in both environments. I would like
to go to college to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering
and would love to work for the National Park Service in the
summers and perhaps even later as a career.”
Phyllis Joy Nasados, Director of Great Onyx
Job Corps Center: “It has been less than six months
ago that we implemented the first fire team training for the
Great Onyx Job Corps students, and now we have a fully trained
and operational fire team, who have participated in three
prescribed burns. I see the tremendous impact that the fire
team has had upon these students and upon their future aspirations.
The most important outcomes of this endeavor has been the
increased pride and esprit de corps that the fire team has
created among its members.”
Contact: Rich Caldwell, Park
Ranger
Phone: (270) 758-2119
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