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BOULDER – AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) members contained the two-acre Switzerland Trail fire near Boulder this morning. This fire, which started Wednesday afternoon likely by a lightening strike, is the fifth fire to which these 18- to 24-year-olds have responded since their first fire of the year in Waterton Canyon last week.
This morning Team Leader Katie Pekarek and 10 Corps Members relieved Team Leader Tai Rogers and eight Corps Members, who participated on the initial attack of the Switzerland Trail fire beginning at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday. As of 10:30 a.m. today, Rogers’ team was still hiking out of the area, where the fire is located on extremely steep terrain.
“These kids are amazing,” said Ed Guzman, Fire Management Officer for the Boulder/Clear Creek District of Arapahoe & Roosevelt National Forests. “They just tear it up. I felt sorry for that fire.”
Pekarek’s team was pulled from the four-acre Black Mountain fire northwest of Fort Collins at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to prepare for relieving Rogers’ team this morning. Since last week, AmeriCorps*NCCC has also responded to the 80-acre Waterton Canyon fire, and two small lightning strike fires near Meeker Park.
AmeriCorps*NCCC trains approximately 20 members annually as Red Card certified Type II wildland firefighters. These Corps Members are based out of the U.S. Forest Service Nederland Work Center, serving Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, but will respond to any wildland fire in the western United States.
When they are not deployed as firefighters, these Corps Members work with the Forest Service on aspen rehabilitation, erosion prevention, fire mitigation, and maintenance projects.
Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps*NCCC is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 1,200 18- to 24-year-olds serve each year. During their 10-month term, Corps Members work on teams of 8-12 on projects that address compelling, self-identified community needs. These projects, usually lasting six to eight weeks each, improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs, and assist with disaster relief. The Central Region campus in Denver, Colo., is one of five regional hubs in the United States and serves 17 states in the central part of the country. The other campuses are located in Perry Point, Md., Washington, D.C., Charleston, S.C., and Sacramento, Calif.
In exchange for their service, Corps Members receive $4,725 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, leadership development, team building skills, increased self-confidence, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps*NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information about AmeriCorps*NCCC, visit the website at http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/nccc.asp.
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