BENNETT, Colo. — Bennett High School students are training to become the next generation of wildland firefighters — and some are already on the front lines.
The school's wildland certification program gives students five days of immersive wilderness training, where they learn fire line digging, shelter deployment, and other essential firefighting skills.
Denver7 reporter Adria Iraheta explains more about the program in the video below:
Sophomore Tyler Pappas is among those currently enrolled in the program.
“My stepdad, he does wildfire too. He's been to Alaska, Colorado, California, when those big fires in California happened last year,” Pappas said. "[I] wanted to do [the program], since I've wanted to be a firefighter for a while.”
Senior Baylee Rodriguez-Acosta described the hands-on nature of the training.
"We'd go practice digging and scraping, and we would practice our deploying shelters," Rodriguez-Acosta said.
The program is led by Bennett 29J Director of Operations and wildfire science teacher Nick Ophaug, who also serves as wildland captain at Sable Altura Fire Rescue. Ophaug said the need for new wildland firefighters drove him to create the class.
"Wildland fire specifically has been pretty desperate for new firefighters coming into the field. So [we] had the opportunity to create the class here and start running with it and start filling that need with firefighters as they graduate and turn 18," Ophaug said.
Sable Altura Fire Rescue recently opened a new fire substation in Watkins to solidify its wildland firefighting efforts in the most vulnerable parts of Arapahoe and Adams counties.
Ophaug said the school was the first in Colorado to offer the program, launching it five years ago. The results are now showing up across the Eastern Plains.
"This last year specifically, I know of five students that graduated and took a job on a department here close by, and fought fires here in the state this year," Ophaug said.
One of those graduates is Jayden Keyser, who is now working as a wildland firefighter for Sable Altura Fire Rescue alongside his former teacher.
"Before this course, I honestly I don't even think I knew that wildland firefighting existed," Keyser said. “There's a pretty big need for it, and it never hurts to give it a try, whether you think you're going to like it or not. For me, I never would have even considered it, but I love it now.”
Keyser deployed to the Gold Mountain Fire in Ouray and Nebraska's South Fork Fire shortly after graduating this summer – in a year when drought and wildfires have taken an exceptional toll across the western United States.
"You learn more as you get out there. Obviously, you pick it up as you go," Keyser said. "It's just good knowing that I get to help play a part in helping out the community, whether that's in small bits or large bits.”
Ophaug said the program's impact extends well beyond Bennett.
"That's benefiting each of [our] local fire units and then the state as a whole," Ophaug said.
Pappas said he hopes the program continues to grow and attract more students.
"I really think we need more of it. I really think we need more people that want to do it and more people that should try it at least," Pappas said. “I'm really excited to get into that when I can, and it's just going to be a cool thing.”
