Boot camp aims to train more women wildland firefighters

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – A special boot camp in Eastern Oregon aims to bring more women into wildland firefighting careers.

Boise State Public Radio reports Cassandra Fleckenstein with the Vale District for the Bureau of Land Management sought out the grant funding to start the wildland fire boot camp, which is now in its second year.

Fleckenstein has been in the field since 2006, starting as a wildland fire dispatcher right out of high school.

She says last year the boot camp drew applications from women as far away as Great Britain and Hawaii. Twenty women participated in 2018, and half of them have gone on to receive jobs in the industry for the 2019 fire season.

The BLM’s Vale District is now taking applications for this year’s 3-day boot camp, which will be held in October.