1 month ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Valley Regional Occupational Program (Valley ROP) held its yearly graduation ceremonial this afternoon, honoring 40 precocious schoolhouse students who person completed their grooming to go certified wildland firefighters — conscionable successful clip for occurrence season.
These students, representing schools crossed the region, didn’t locomotion the signifier successful accepted caps and gowns. Instead, they wore army-green cargo pants, sturdy hiking boots, and achromatic azygous t-shirts stamped with a agleam orangish seal and the words “Valley ROP Firefighters” crossed the back.
Among the graduates was 18-year-old Sunnie Ornelas, who discovered her passionateness for wildland firefighting aft taking an municipality occurrence class.
“I conscionable wanted to beryllium a operation firefighter. Then I took this people and realized I privation to beryllium successful the Forest Service,” Ornelas said. “There’s not that galore radical warring fires successful the forest.”
Ornelas hopes to articulation a Hotshot unit — elite teams that enactment for the U.S. Forest Service and are deployed to immoderate of the astir distant and unsafe wildfire zones successful the country.
Another graduate, Aaron Martinez, has already achieved that goal.
“Yeah, I’m connected the Arrowhead Hotshot unit with the National Park Service,” said Martinez. “I enactment Monday done Thursday, but that’s lone for now.”
The Wildland Fire Science programme is simply a cardinal programme wrong the Valley ROP, which partners with section precocious schools to equip students with the foundational grooming and certifications needed to motorboat a vocation successful occurrence service. Students often statesman with municipality firefighting courses earlier advancing to the wildland program.
“I was successful this wildland program, but to get here, you person to spell done urban,” Martinez added. “I loved that too.”
With much than 8,000 wildfires recorded crossed California successful 2024 alone, according to Cal Fire, the request for skilled firefighters has ne'er been much urgent.
“One of the astir challenging things is climbing hills — the elevation is ace precocious retired there,” Ornelas said.
She offered proposal for those considering the program:
“If you program connected going this year, I suggest you commencement moving retired close now. If you’re not successful shape, past you mightiness not marque it.”
Many of the graduates volition instrumentality this autumn to proceed their grooming done Valley ROP’s Natural Resource Program oregon astatine the Fresno City Fire Academy, taking the adjacent measurement successful what could go a lifelong vocation successful nationalist service.
For much accusation connected Valley ROP oregon immoderate of the courses they offer, sojourn valleyrop.net.
