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Tag: Lakeview Crew 7

Skidgeon on the Cougar Creek Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , ,

BLM crew of veterans trains National Guardsmen

Cougar Creek Fire Skidgeon
A Soft Track Skidgeon filling a pumpkin water tank on the Cougar Creek Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, WA, 2018. Photo: Kari Greer, NIFC. Click to enlarge.

I ran across this photo of a Soft Track Skidgeon, and since it is an interesting machine, I wanted to post it. It was on Flickr along with dozens of other photos from the Bureau of Land Management. That album also had pictures of BLM Crew 7 from Lakeview, comprised almost entirely of veterans, training soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard in 2014. This year the crew  earned Interagency Hotshot Crew status.

National Guard wildfire training
More than 250 soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard, 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, train with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service at the Yakima Training Center, July 25, 2014. BLM was represented by crew No. 7 from Lakeview, which is comprised of military veterans. Photo by Kevin Abel/BLM.
National Guard wildfire training
More than 250 soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard, 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, train with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service at the Yakima Training Center, July 25, 2014. BLM was represented by crew No. 7 from Lakeview, which is comprised of military veterans. Photo by Kevin Abel/BLM.

In the video below, the National Guardsmen practice fire shelter deployment. It shows the Guardsmen running and then getting into the shelters. Video by Kevin Abel/BLM.

BLM Oregon firefighters train Washington National Guard

Lakeview Crew 7 earns Hotshot status

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 6 Comments on Lakeview Crew 7 earns Hotshot status
Lakeview hotshots
The Lakeview 7 Hotshot Crew on the Cougar Creek Fire in central Washington, Aug. 17, 2018. Photo by Kari Greer, NIFC.

Congratulations to Lakeview Crew 7, an interagency hotshot firefighter crew comprised almost entirely of U.S. military veterans.

The crew was formed in 2000 and reorganized in 2011 to help military veterans transition to productive civilian careers. Crew 7 has been funded under the BLM Veterans Crew Program since 2012.

In March of 2016, Crew 7 began the process to be certified as a hotshot crew. They went through the review process in 2017 and received the recommendation for certification this year.

During the 2018 wildfire season, Lakeview Crew 7 battled fires across the West, including the large Cougar Creek Fire in central Washington.

“Our time spent in the military is a key ingredient to our achievements,” said Levi VanderMolen, a member of Crew 7.

“It’s what separates us from other crews and inspires us to work harder and become the best.”

Learn more about BLM career opportunities for veterans:
https://www.blm.gov/careers/veterans

Lakeview Crew 7
Photo by Kari Greer, NIFC