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 corps orgs to help with military veteran training and hiring 2011- SCA’s first VFC Teams in Apache-Sitgreaves and Prescott National Forests 2014- SCA begins running VFC Teams with National Park Service 2015- First SCA Teams with Fish and Wildlife Service 2015- First SCA Teams in southeastern US (National Wildlife Refuges) 2017 – Gulf VFC Team in Mississippi

• Apache-Sitgreaves NF
• Sandhill Crane NWR
• Various FWS Sites in Florida
• Prescott NF
• Coconino NF
• Kaibab NF
• Arapaho-Roosevelt NF
• Medicine Bow- Routt NF
• White River NF
• Shoshone NF
• Big Horn NF
• Black Hills NF
• Nebraska NF
• Private Lands

History and Overview Shoshone National Forest Team 2014

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

Accomplishments

“I used to serve my country with an M- 16, but now I use a chainsaw.”

Earleena Clark, Coconino NF VFC Team, 2013

• 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

Accomplishments

Shoshone NF Team

2014 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

Accomplishments

Gulf VFC Team 2017

Partnership with several

• rganizations: 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

clear the corridor. Certifications –

• CPR, First Aid, Portable ePumps

and Water Use, Wilderness First Aid, Wildland Fire (Red Card), S-212

Gulf Fire Corps 2017

Questions?

Gulf Corps VFC Team 2017

Tobias@thesca.org

https://www.thesca.org/VFC