In light of the announcement to transfer the management of 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers from the U.S. Forest Service to the Department of Labor (DOL) and to permanently close 9 of those 25 centers, it is interesting to look back on a story written and published by the Forest Service nine months ago about then Interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen’s visit to “the number one Job Corps Center out of 123 nationwide.” She was later confirmed as Chief of the Forest Service.
Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, Schenck Job Corps celebrate number one ranking
From left, Forests of North Carolina Forest Supervisor Allen Nicholas, USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, Southern Research Station Director Rob Doudrick, and Southern Region Acting Regional Forester Ken Arney preserve the memory of their visit by posing alongside the Schenck Job Corps sign. USDA Forest Service photo by Marvin Ramsey.
NORTH CAROLINA – “Look for the fire that burns within you and gives you the juice. You are capable of doing anything you put your mind to.” USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen offered these words of advice to the students at Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, located on the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.
Christiansen journeyed to Schenck Job Corps Center on September 26, 2018, to congratulate the students and staff on the center’s remarkable Program Year 2017 performance. The center’s program year ended on June 30, 2018 and resulted in it being ranked as the number one Job Corps Center out of 123 nationwide. Not only did Schenck achieve the number one overall ranking, it also ranked number one in graduate job placement.
Having also been recognized as the number one center in 2014, this is a repeat performance for Schenck within a span of five years. Job Corps Centers are evaluated on weighted measures and performance goals that include credential and high school diploma attainment, job placement and wages.
Along with Schenck, eleven other Forest Service Job Corps Centers–Flatwoods, Trapper Creek, Frenchburg, Blackwell, Centennial, Curlew, Wolf Creek, Weber Basin, Anaconda, Pine Knot and Lyndon B. Johnson–finished in the top 50 of the 123 Job Corps Centers.
“Having the Chief here is really cool,” said Rosalyn Velasquez, a member of Schenck’s Advanced Fire Management Program and its associated Davidson River Initial Attack Crew. The DVR has built a stellar reputation with its 100% graduation rate and consistent graduate job placement into career positions with the Forest Service and other public lands management agencies. The DVR students were impressed that, like them, Christiansen began her career as a wildland firefighter and has now risen to the heights of her current position.
Christiansen was enthusiastic about the value Civilian Conservation Centers bring to the Forest Service. In PY17 alone, Job Corps students contributed 42,912 hours to national forests and grasslands project work. These hours equate to a dollar contribution of $1,059,497. Additionally, Job Corps students have contributed approximately 460,000 hours to wildland fire support and 5,000 hours to hurricane support.
Having begun her career as a wildland firefighter and state forester, Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, recalls her classes studying fire behavior with members of the Davidson River Initial Attack Crew. USDA Forest Service photo by Marvin Ramsey.
Christiansen offered wise advice to the students on how to approach a job as they begin their careers. “Good leaders first learned to be good followers,” she stated before sharing this fable. “One day a traveler came upon three bricklayers and inquired what are you doing? The first one replied ‘laying these brick,’ the second one replied ‘working as a member of this team’, while the third replied ‘I’m part of this team that is building this grand cathedral.’” Christiansen ended by saying, “The moral of the fable of ‘The Three Bricklayers’ is that we all have our roles.”
Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers changes lives one student at a time by equipping them with valuable skills to help them find jobs and support the nation’s economy. Along with supporting the Forest Service national priority of promoting shared stewardship, Civilian Conservation Centers also provide critical support to their local communities and, in PY17, volunteered 60,274 hours to community projects, equating to a dollar contribution of $1,488,156.
From left, Davidson River Initial Attack Crew enjoy a picture with Forest Service leaders. Southern Research Station Director Rob Doudrick, Southern Region Acting Regional Forester Ken Arney, USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen, Schenck Job Corps Davidson River Initial Attack Crew members David Williams, Joseph Mousseaux, Austin Griffin, Cortney Brown, Christopher Sanchez, Osman Guzman-Reyes, Abdusalam Ibrahim, Joseph Woods, Richard Alidon, Trevon Lindsay, Dylan Hobbs, Lerron Dugars, Trey Brandenburg, Walter Moore, Shavonte Crosby, Taj Pham, Richard Bostic, Rosalyn Velasquez, Patrique Hall, Samuel Leach, Schenck Job Corps Works Program Officer Kenneth Barton, Job Corps National Office Acting Assistant Director Jimmy Copeland, and National Forests of North Carolina Forest Supervisor Allen Nicholas. USDA Forest Service photo by Marvin Ramsey.
While testifying during a June 11, 2019 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jon Stewart (at lower left) turns away for a second from the empty Senators’ chairs to look at the first responders in the audience. Screen grab from CNN video. Click to enlarge.
Since at least 2010 Jon Stewart, formerly of the Daily Show, has been striving to get Congress to provide adequate health care for the firefighters and other first responders that fought the fires and assisted victims after the World Trade Center towers were attacked by terrorists in 2001.
This morning he appeared again before the Senate Judiciary Committee to encourage Senators to approve the bill that will be voted on tomorrow, June 12. Every few years the legislation that funds health care for the 9/11 first responders suffering from cancer and other diseases expires, and the fight to do the right thing must be reintroduced and refought. The bill now pending will make health care for the 9/11 first responders permanent.
You will see in the video how strongly Mr. Stewart feels about this issue.
Here are some quotes from Mr. Stewart’s testimony:
This hearing should be flipped. These men and women should be up on that stage and Congress should be down here answering their questions as to why this is so damn hard and takes so damn long.
Setting aside, no American should face financial ruin because of a health issue.
Certainly 9/11 first responders shouldn’t have to decide whether to live or to have a place to live.
They responded in 5 seconds. They did their job with courage, grace, tenacity, humility — 18 years later, DO YOURS.
Below is an excerpt from an article at The Sun, published September 11, 2018:
In the following days [after the attacks on 9/11], people from every state – and almost every single district – of America helped at Ground Zero – rescuing casualties, digging up bodies, cleaning up and rebuilding.
Now they are paying a high price for their selflessness – while most of the world remains oblivious to their suffering.
Over 2,000 first responders – anyone who helped out at Ground Zero, including building workers, electricians, doctors and paramedics – have died from illnesses caused by breathing in the toxic fumes that engulfed the site in the weeks after the terror attack.
As thousands more currently battle 9/11-related diseases such as cancer or severe respiratory disease, shockingly, it’s predicted that by the end of this year the number of first responders who have died since the tragic event will overtake the number who died on the day…
Four wildfires are currently burning 30 to 90 miles east and northeast of Phoenix, Arizona.
The Woodbury Fire in the Superstition Mountains 8 miles northwest of Superior has burned about 5,000 acres on the Tonto National Forest since it started June 8. Tuesday morning the Central West Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team will assume command of the fire, which is spreading in thick brush on extremely steep and rugged terrain.
Woodbury Fire, June 10, 2019. InciWeb photo.
The Mountain Fire is now in patrol and mopup status after burning 7,470 acres since it started on June 7 four miles northwest of Bartlett Reservoir. Two hand crews and two engine are assigned today.
The Coldwater Fire, seven miles northeast of Pine, is producing moderate to heavy smoke in the mornings between 3 and 9 a.m. along State Route 87, and intermittently in the afternoons. It has blackened 9,665 acres of Ponderosa pine and mixed conifer since it started May 30.
Coldwater Fire, June 8, 2019. InciWeb photo.
The Bylas Fire (at the community of the same name) 22 miles southeast of San Carlos along U.S. 70 has burned about 300 acres in the Gila Valley. It started June 8 and a Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered.
Photo posted on Facebook by the U.S. Forest Service – Daniel Boone National Forest on December 4, 2017 with this description: “A special thank-you goes to Job Corps student firefighters from Pine Knot, Frenchburg, and Great Onyx for assisting the Daniel Boone National Forest with fighting wildfires. For more than a week, these students have assisted firefighting efforts across three Forest districts, helping to contain four wildfires burning more than 1,600 acres total.”
The Job Corps Centers managed by the U.S. Forest Service help train youths in wildland firefighting, forestry, culinary arts, welding, and other trades. Their official mission is to educate 16- to 24-year-olds, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds, while helping U.S. conservation efforts on public lands. After graduating from the program many of the youths have training, skills, and experience that qualifies them for permanent jobs in government or private industry.
A former high-level Forest Service employee, Michael T. Rains, has written a letter to the President requesting that transfer of the Centers to the DOL and closure of eight be reversed. Before Mr. Rains retired in 2016 he had been Deputy Chief of the Forest Service for State and Private Forestry in Washington, D.C. and Director of the Northern Research Station at Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The letter is used here with his permission:
June 3, 2019
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you about an issue that I know you are aware of. Currently, the United States Forest Service operates 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers [JCCCC’s] with 4,300 students, on 23 National Forests, across 17 states. On May 24, 2019, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture sent a letter to the Department of Labor [DOL] transferring 16 of these JCCCC’s to the DOL. And, as part of this action, 9 of the 25 Centers will be closed. Yesterday [June 3, 2019], you reversed the decision on one of the closures – the Anaconda JCCCC at Anaconda, Montana. Thank you very much for doing this.
It is interesting to note that in a “Outcome Measurement System” matrix that I was reviewing, the Anaconda JCCCC was ranked 23rd out of the 129 Centers across America. The 6th ranked Center at Frenchburg, Kentucky is also being proposed for closure. The top ranked Center, Schenck on the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, is set to be transferred to the DOL. As far as I can tell, there does not seem to be any logic between performance or cost-effectiveness or mission alignment and this set of closure/transfer actions.
Accordingly, I implore you to do the same decision-reversal that you did for the Anaconda Center for all the other closures and all the transfers. My reasoning is simple. Beyond any doubt, these closure/transfer actions are incredibly short-sighted, ineffective and based on a premise that is not at all accurate. The USDA Secretary has concluded the closure/transfer actions will help the Forest Service better prioritize its “core natural resource mission to improve the condition and resilience of our nation’s forests, and step away from activities and programs that are not essential to that core mission.” Allow me to be blunt. This statement is completely absurd. Further, the DOL will never be able to match the achievement and influence that the United States Forest Service has been able to attain with this program. The role of the students in helping achieve America’s conservation mission through the long-term dedicated instruction by Forest Service teachers and leaders cannot be logically questioned or challenged.
As you know, the core mission of the Forest Service is characterized by the slogan, “…caring for the land and serving people.” The agency has a direct and indirect role in the management, protection and wise use of about 80 percent of America’s forests – about 885 million acres. The fundamental principle of this mission is to keep forests healthy, sustainable and more resilient to disturbances – such as wildfires. The Forest Service Job Corp program and its students help advance this mission. Some recent examples showing the incredible impact of the students:
1,054 students have been Red-carded [qualified] to prepare for firefighting assignments.
Over 3,000 days worked, including 440 days reducing hazardous fuels and treating almost 6,000 acres within the high-risk to fire Wildland-Urban Interface areas.
Millions of dollars in work-related contributions to rural communities — $35 million in just a three-year period.
94 Job Corps graduates recently hired in permanent career positions to embolden the Forest Service conservation ethic.
There is lots of information, over an extended period of time, that demonstrates the significant impacts the JCCCC’s program has on Forest Service activities (including, forest restoration, fire suppression, prescribed fire, recreation and trail maintenance). The Secretary’s conclusion is not factual. For example, from just 2016-2018, about 230 students at the Forest Service Job Corps Centers have been qualified and deployed for wildland firefighting duties. The pipeline of well-trained firefighters is growing. Wildland firefighting has always been considered to be a “core mission” of the Forest Service.
Please see what some Forest Service employees are saying about the Forest Service-administered Job Corps program. I am biased, to be sure. In 2016, I retired from the Forest Service after almost 50 years of public service. I began my career as a wildland firefighter. While I never had a specific assignment in “Job Corps”, my experiences intersected with the program and its students very often. And, as one employee said, “…they are just an incredible asset.” Yes, the Centers and their students and the teachers are an incredible asset that has proven to be one of the great success stories of our time — by helping at-risk youth become productive citizens.
Moving the Forest Service Job Corps program to the DOL, in spite of the rhetoric to the contrary, will destroy this asset. The DOL does not know or care about America’s land conservation legacy. The legacy built by the Forest Service Job Corps students will be methodically lost. As one associate recently stated: “…the DOL has attempted to wrestle this valuable, high performing program away from the Forest Service since the 1970’s. The DOL will not do the job the Forest Service has done since 1964 and the losers will be the Nation, our National Forests, and the current and future Job Corps Enrollees.”
Mr. President, allow me to conclude with this urgent plea: As you so correctly did with the Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Montana, please reverse the decision to close the other 8 Centers and reverse the decision to transfer 16 Forest Service-administered Centers to the DOL. Allow the Forest Service to continue its work with the students and the communities. Please know, the information presented to you in making the initial decision was and remains faulty. To proceed ahead with this decision will not allow you and your Administration to care for our lands and serve American’s in the manner that they should be served.
Included in this letter is a supporting A.1 Appendix.
Very respectfully,
Michael T. Rains
Appendix A.1. The Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers [JCCCC’s] Administered by the United States Forest Service [Ranking] and [Congressional Districts, Representative and Party Affiliation] and [Senators and Party Affiliation]
A. JCCCC’s to be Transferred to the Department of Labor [under a New Contract Operator]:
The park ordered visitors to evacuate, then the fire department asked them to remain in the park
The Sky Fire at Six Flags Magic Mountain June 9, 2019. Photo by Robert Schwemmer. Click to enlarge.
A brush fire near Six Flags Magic Mountain Sunday caused concern among the park’s guests as smoke blew into the facility. The park managers ordered an evacuation just after noon but not all of the guests got the message. But 50 minutes later firefighters closed the roads and asked everyone to remain in the park.
The size of the blaze, named Sky Fire, was variously reported by the media to be 40 and 100 acres.
The park planned to reopen Monday morning.
A roller coaster can be scary to some people at any time, but riding it while a brush fire appears to be threatening the amusement park takes it to another level.
MAFFS 7 crashed July 1, 2012 in South Dakota at the White Draw Fire
Rob David, son of fallen U.S. Air Force Maj. Ryan S. David, delivers a speech during the Building Dedication Ceremony in honor of his father and three other members of the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) seven crew at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Ballard, 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.
(This article was first published at Fire Aviation)
Yesterday four buildings at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport were dedicated to the four airmen who were killed in an aircraft crash July 1, 2012 while fighting the White Draw Fire northeast of Edgemont, South Dakota. Their C-130 was serving as an air tanker using a Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) in the cargo hold which enables the aircraft to drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant on a wildfire. There were four fatalities. The two loadmasters operating the MAFFS unit in the rear of the aircraft were seriously injured but survived.
Family and friends of fallen U.S. Air Force Maj, Joseph M. McCormick view building plans and a dedication plaque at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019 following the Building Dedication Ceremony to honor Maj. McCormick and three other fallen Airmen, Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, Maj. Ryan S. David, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon. Photo by Staff Sgt. Laura Montgomery 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.
The article below about the June 9 building dedication event was written by Staff Sgt. Laura Montgomery, Public Affairs with the North Carolina Air National Guard.
As the rain descends, reverent family and friends of the North Carolina Air National Guard gather in a hangar at the base June 9, 2019 to commemorate the devastating loss of four crew members of the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System seven mission over South Dakota that occurred July 1, 2012. The four fallen members, Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, Maj. Joseph McCormick, Maj. Ryan S. David, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, have buildings dedicated in their honor, including the new base operations, small air terminal, an aircraft maintenance hangar, and soon-to-be built flight simulator.
A plaque is displayed dedicating the 145th Maintenance Group hangar to U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) seven crew member, at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Ballard, 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.
“These Airmen selflessly gave their lives executing our C-130 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission while fighting the White Draw Fire in South Dakota, “ said Maj. Joel Kingdon, 156th Airlift Squadron, “Today we say thank you to the families for their sacrifice, and we forever memorialize our fallen heroes by dedicating these buildings to serve as a lasting tribute of their service to our country.”
Members of the fallen Airmen took turns speaking about their loved ones and reflecting on joy they brought to their lives and their thankfulness for the men and women of the North Carolina Air National Guard.
“We’re unbelievably grateful for this building, we never really imagined anything like this happening,” stated Alex Cannon, son of the late Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, “We feel only closer with the people here today, we look forward to seeing everyone and we hope to maintain these relationships.”
Alex Cannon, son of fallen U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Cannon delivers a speech during the building dedication ceremony in honor of his father and three other members of the MAFFS 7 crew, at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019. Photo by Airman 1st Class Juan Paz 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.
As these buildings are erected and modified to suit the new mission of the North Carolina Air National Guard, we reflect on the dedicated service of our fallen Airmen and their willingness to answer a call for something bigger than themselves.
“We take this moment, this chance to memorialize and remember these gentlemen, not because of the fact that they perished on that fateful day but because they actually served faithfully,” said Maj. Gen. Gregory A. Lusk, Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard, “The fact that they rose above and answered the call to respond to and secure the blessing of liberty.”
The family of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal pose next to a commemorative photo created for the 145th Airlift Wing building dedication ceremony at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019. Photo by Airman 1st Class Juan Paz 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.A plaque is displayed dedicating the 145th Airlift Wing C-17 operations building to U.S. Air Force Lt Col. Paul Mikeal, a MAFFS 7 crew member, at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, June 9, 2019. Photo by Airman 1st Class Juan Paz, 145th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs North Carolina Air National Guard.
