SACRAMENTO – Women looking for a career change have a unique opportunity as the U.S. Forest Service will hold a wildfire training camp in Northern California. The goal is to attract more women to the profession.
The work can be tough, the hours are long and there is the danger of fighting forest fires.
Brenna Jones was a high school teacher but needed a change.
“I’ve played sports all my life, played basketball in high school and college, and someone reached out and said, ‘There’s a Women in Wildfire training camp in the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California and maybe is this something you would like to try out?’ Jones said.
Several years later, she now directs a similar camp in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest for Northern California women interested in joining them.
US Forest Service
The training consists of two parts: classroom training and then in-person field training, which is actually six days long and in Redding. The stay is free and participants also get paid for that camp week.
“They will receive leadership training, training on how to navigate the application process with the Forest Service, and it just gives them access to see other strong leaders, men and women, who work for the agency,” Jones said. “I wanted to show women, young girls, that this is an opportunity that they can do it.”
US Forest Service
Jones said to ask yourself a few questions: Are you physically fit? Do you like the outdoors? Do you want to help your country? But perhaps most importantly: do you want a meaningful career?
“When you help put out a fire and years later you come back and see the impact of that, where we get to enjoy the national forest, I think that’s pretty rewarding too,” she said.
The deadline to register for this session is November 1. If accepted, online training will take place, followed by in-person camp beginning in March.
