Veteran Fire Corps - SCA Toby Bokum-Fauth History and Overview - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Veteran Fire Corps - SCA Toby Bokum-Fauth

History and Overview 2010/2011: USFS begins conversations with conservation • Apache-Sitgreaves NF corps orgs to help with military veteran training and hiring • Sandhill Crane NWR • 2011- SCA’s first VFC Teams in Various FWS Sites in Florida Apache-Sitgreaves and Prescott • Prescott NF National Forests • Coconino NF 2014- SCA begins running VFC • Kaibab NF Teams with National Park Service • Arapaho-Roosevelt NF 2015- First SCA Teams with Fish • Medicine Bow- Routt NF and Wildlife Service • White River NF 2015- First SCA Teams in • Shoshone NF southeastern US (National Wildlife Refuges) • Big Horn NF • 2017 – Gulf VFC Team in Black Hills NF Mississippi • Nebraska NF • Private Lands

History and Overview Our Teams: • 1 Leader, 5 Members • Stationary or Roving Teams • Typically 12-14 weeks, some longer • AD Status (fire, natural disasters) • AmeriCorps • Training - S-212, S-130, S-190 , WFA / BFA Shoshone National Forest Team 2014

Accomplishments • 97% felt prepared for entry- level employment in wildland fire • 39% immediately found jobs • 21.9% USFS fire jobs • 13.6% continued with SCA • 22.5% to college or other education Mission, Camaraderie and Uniform “I used to serve my country with an M - 16, but now I use a chainsaw.” Earleena Clark, Coconino NF VFC Team, 2013

Accomplishments New agency partners (NPS, FWS, Non-profits) • More hiring opportunities for vets • More funding sources Multiple funders • Corporations, foundations (NFWF) and private donors Roving Team funding example: Gulf Team, Olympic NP, Lake Roosevelt NRA, Yosemite NP, Prescott NF, Mazda Foundation, private donors Shoshone NF Team 2014

Gulf VFC Team 2017 Accomplishments Partnership with several organizations: Wildlife Mississippi, Fish & Wildlife Service, Grand Bay NERR, SCA, and NFWF. Improving Land – - Removed 20 acres of invasive species. Prescribed burns – 3137 acres - Improving Trails – - Built a 20 foot bridge - Worked on 1000 ft. of boardwalk - Worked on 2000 ft. of trail to Gulf Fire Corps 2017 clear the corridor. Certifications – - CPR, First Aid, Portable ePumps and Water Use, Wilderness First Aid, Wildland Fire (Red Card), S-212

Questions? Tobias@thesca.org Gulf Corps VFC Team 2017 https://www.thesca.org/VFC