Former Reedley College student explains how wildland fire program prepared him to become a hotshot

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The fires successful Southern California person drawn firefighters from adjacent and far.

Crews person been moving astir the timepiece to prevention radical and property.

That includes Kings River Hotshot Diego Moreno, who precocious returned from his duty connected the Eaton Fire successful Southern California.

"It was decidedly similar a one-of-a-kind experience, astatine slightest for me. Like I've ne'er seen occurrence behaviour that aggressive," Moreno said.

He's going connected his 3rd twelvemonth connected the crew.

Born and raised successful Sanger, He got his commencement astatine Reedley College aft talking to a person who was already a hotshot successful Kern Valley.

"And I asked him, 'Hey what bash you guys do?' Once helium explained what hotshots do, I was hooked since then, that's what I wanted to bash and this programme helped maine get there," Moreno said.

He enrolled successful the wildland firefighting people and graduated successful 2023.

Adam Hernandez was 1 of his instructors.

Hernandez said the programme is not a emblematic assemblage class.

It's precise hands-on and trains students successful what they'll beryllium doing successful the field.

"We truly instrumentality our flag, and the information that we privation them to beryllium arsenic prepared arsenic they perchance tin be, we cognize however to bash that," Hernandez said.

Hernandez says the programme has astir an 80 to 90 percent occupation placement rate.

Friday, the U.S. Forest Service had aggregate booths acceptable up recruiting aboriginal firefighters.

"From Reedley, it's decidedly 1 of the wildland occurrence programs that we person hired astir from," U.S. Forest Service Fire Management Planning Specialist Brian Grabowski said.

Current and past students stopped by booths looking for a spot to commencement their aboriginal careers, a vocation Moreno said he's gladsome helium chose.

"I don't look back, due to the fact that I person a blast," Moreno said. "You know, not a batch of radical privation to bash it, but it's, it's fun. I don't regret."

The hiring lawsuit continues Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. astatine Reedley College.

Reedley College is besides hosting a statewide Forestry Pathways league for students and manufacture partners April 24-25 astatine their caller McClarty Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

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