COLORADO—Eight students from the Harpers Ferry, Blackwell, Flatwoods and Cass Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers had the opportunity to learn about aviation in wildfire and gain hands-on experience during a three-day National Wildfire Coordinating Group Helicopter Crew Member Course (S-271) in mid-October 2022. 

Helicopters are an important tool in the wildland firefighting arsenal. The Eastern Region sponsored the course to prepare the students to staff contract when needed helicopters to aid with prescribed burning and wildfire suppression efforts during the 2023 fire year. The S-271 course was taught by conservation center fire staff Dave DiSanto, Chris Stephanides, Ashley Zupancich, Will Foster, Jacob Swift and Steven Anderson. 

Students explored the role and responsibilities of a helicopter crew member in a wildland fire setting during the classroom portion of S-271. Classroom instruction covered manifesting cargo net sling-loads, briefing personnel on aircraft safety, and safety checks on helicopters and external load equipment. 

Wildland firefighting staff work hard to ensure that that Job Corps students have a diverse skillset, which does not go unnoticed by appreciative students. 

“Awesome experience,” said Flatwoods student Tristen Twomey, who is now interested in pursuing a career as a helicopter crew member. “I never thought I would be in a class like that. The instructors made it really good experience and explained everything really well” 

On the field exercise portion of the course, students broke into three groups to cover practical application of the classroom exercises. Following the group station activities, JBI Helicopters flew a helicopter to run each student through a sling-load exercise, where they simulated the basic duties of sending and receiving cargo in a wildfire setting. Students communicated directly with the JBI Helicopter pilot, guiding them to the payload and hooking the payload to the helicopter via a longline.

At the invitation of the New Hampshire National Guard, the students toured the aircraft housed in its hangar at the Concord Airport, a highlight for Flatwoods Job Corps student Nzigiyimana “Fred” Ferdinand. “The best part was going to see the Army National Guard base and seeing the Blackhawks and the field day was awesome,” he said. “I learned so much, especially about radios. I liked meeting the pilots. I learned a lot about typing of helicopters. I learned some awesome stuff.”

The eight students were awarded both S-271 and Long line Certification (A-219) certificates of completion. The practical knowledge  and training gained by the eight students will be invaluable to their careers in fire. The S-271 course also exposed them to aviation career paths that are available with the Forest Service and its interagency partners. 

The Job Corps Wildland Fire Program is a partnership between Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management and Job Corps. Students are trained as wildland firefighters and in a variety of wildland firefighting support functions, including camp crews and expanded dispatch, at all 24 Job Corps centers. 

In FY2022, Forest Service Job Corps students contributed 175,275.88 service hours in wildland firefighting support and 79,351.45 service hours in conservation support.