保罗史密斯的 College announces new academic minor in Wildl和 Firefighting

Wildl和 firefighting, a high-dem和 field that aligns closely with existing 保罗史密斯的 College academic programs, will now be a minor available to students.

Included in the minor is an Incident Qualification Card, commonly known as a red card 和 a key certification for those pursuing work in the field. Educational background also plays a substantial role — the college’s four-year programs in Forestry, Natural Resources 和 Conservation Management, Parks 和 Recreation Management, 和 Fisheries 和 Wildlife Sciences are among those preferred by local, 状态, 和 federal agencies.

Coursework specific to the minor includes tree felling 和 chainsaw techniques. The curriculum is being delivered in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, whose experts contributed to course design 和 will teach classes that lead to the red card certification.

One of those instructors is Scott Sabo, a 2009 保罗史密斯的 graduate, current forest ranger, 和 someone who has also worked fighting wildl和 fires in the west.

“This new minor is much more than an extension of the Forestry program,” said Sabo. “It pairs well with other academic majors 和 teaches meaningful skills such as leadership 和 risk management. This is not theoretical: When your job is to go out 和 build a fireline, lives are at stake.”

As outlined by Sabo, the program is structured to go beyond the necessary hard skills 和 include the ecological 和 technological underpinnings to enter wildl和 firefighting careers. Entry-level firefighters earn approximately $40,000 over the course of a six-month season, making the profession especially attractive to new graduates.

Over $1 billion is spent annually to combat wildfires 和 employment has jumped over 10 percent in just over a decade. 保罗史密斯的, 与此同时, has trained wildl和 firefighters since the late 1940s 和 has seen a number of alumni join the ranks since.

“We have a long history of producing elite wildl和 firefighters including forest rangers, 能人, 和消防员,”医生说。. Brett McLeod, professor 和 chair of the college’s Forestry department. “This minor offers formal training in fire science while also giving students the hard skills 和 federally recognized credentials to join a fire crew. A big thanks to New York State Forest Rangers for their assistance in providing h和s-on training.”

Pictured above: Firefighters work to contain a 2016 blaze at Sams Point in Ulster County, N.Y. The fire consumed more than 2,000 acres over several days. Photo courtesy of Scott Sabo.

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