Veteran firefighter William (Tim) Foley has started working with Western Colorado Community College, offering a new Wildland Fire Management degree.

Foley brings with him over 22 years of experience as a federal wildland fire specialist.  From supervising a hotshot ground crew to being an active fire behavior analyst, there is a wide range of skills that Foley will impart onto his students.

WCCC is offering an Associates degree in Applied Sciences with a major in Wildland Fire Management. Studens will take two years to complete the program with a maximum of 15 credit hours from any on-the-job work experience that the student may bring with them. The program is being headed and maintained by the Department of Public Safety division of WCCC.

The training that students receive will not only count toward their AAS in Wildland Fire Management, but students will also receive a certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). Basic Fire Guard School (FSWM 100) is one of the first classes to be offered and is starting second mod this semester.

“We are doing an evening class to try and keep it on a working person’s schedule,” Foley said when talking about how the schedule will play out.

Having a schedule which allows people to maintain steady full-time employment opens up the option to have outside professionals from the BLM or National Forest Service come in and help share some of their knowledge in their fields of study.

FSWM 100 is a starting point for students who do not have any background in fire fighting or are not seasoned firefighters, and it will also allow students to obtain the minimum certifications needed through NWCG to obtain a summer position with multiple agencies.  Foley is currently working with the Bureau of Land Management as well as National Forest Service to help bring the program around to national standards. Having the classwork certified by NWCG will help to standardize the training that all students and wildland firefighters receive.

“Wildland firefighting is a borderless job,” Foley said.

Because of the nature of wildland fires, there’s not a single organization that can fully combat and control the spread of fires. The standardization of training will help to ease some of undue stress that comes with working with different organizations.

Public interest showed that the degree program was needed, and after years of planning, WCCC is ready to offer the degree.  Although the class work will certify students, Foley suggests that students also prepare themselves for the physical side of the job as well. Just having the certification will not guarantee that a person is hired. There are also physical standards that parallel those of the NWCG certification.

ldaniel@mavs.coloradomesa.edu