Future Firefighters : Conservation Corps Runs a Dirty, Tough Camp

“Hard work, low pay, miserable conditions . . . and more!”

To Placentia residents Paul Hathaway and Christian Kirk, it sounded too good to pass up. Last month, the pair joined a new program offered by the California Conservation Corps to train young firefighters, the first of its kind in the county.

It is not a job for the timid.

“First and foremost, the CCC is a work-ethic program. It’s not a summer camp or vacation,” reads the work agreement that all recruits must sign. “You’ll do dirty, backbreaking work, and have few people to thank you for it.”

Now for minimum wage, Hathaway and Kirk work grueling, 10-hour days beginning at 6 a.m. Still, they say, it beats any other job.

“Some people would rather work at Mervyn’s all day, but I’d rather be out doing something physical,” Hathaway, 20, said. “I’ve always been interested in conservation, and when I found out the job was fighting fires, I thought that was pretty exciting.”

The Conservation Corps opened its first Orange County office in Yorba Linda on Aug. 1 and began recruiting. The County Fire Department loaned the office space and equipment, and it also helps to train the fire crews. In return, the corps provides manpower to fight blazes and help in other emergencies, said Scot Schmier, the corps’ coordinator.

“It’s a win-win situation. The county benefits. The corps benefits” and the trainees gain real firefighting experience, he said.

Fifteen men now are training for front-line firefighting. A second group of 10 will soon begin training as a support crew.

Their days typically begin before sunrise. At a remote Silverado Canyon site called Hangman’s Tree, Fire Department instructor Bob Feldtz recently took nine trainees on a mountain hike in 90-degree heat to acclimate them to the terrain and weather they will face.

On their first afternoon wearing full gear--heavy yellow coats and pants, hiking boots, helmets and goggles--the crew warmed up with a brisk climb up a rocky hill. Then they cut access trails, called “scratch lines,” through the brush with shovels and axes. After only 10 minutes, they had cleared a path 125 feet long and two feet wide, and sweat had darkened the outermost layers of their protective clothing.

“It’s about 150 degrees inside this, and it’s not even a hot day. This ain’t nothing to what a fire’s going to be,” Kirk said.

David Seminario of Fullerton, who at 18 is the youngest member of the crew, said, “It’s like being in a microwave oven in here.”

But Schmier suggested that they get used to it.

“You guys are doing good--only 11 hours and 45 minutes more until you’re done,” Schmier called out. His message was serious: They must be prepared for work on a real fire.

Suddenly, Feldtz called out, “Air drop, hit the deck!” to practice reacting to a water drop on a nearby blaze. The crew dove spread-eagled onto the trail as they would during such a drop to avoid being knocked down by the torrent.

Founded in 1976, the Conservation Corps has employed more than 45,000 young adults. Firefighting is only part of the corps’ work. Its members also build roads, clean parks and help restore wildlife areas. In the future, Schmier said, the corps also will be working with cities as well as the county.

Corps’ spokeswoman Susanne Levitsky said the new program’s chief advantage is that it uses local residents and lets them work close to home.

“There’s a lot of pride when you’re working in your area or city,” she said.

The county Fire Department also uses the work of state and county inmates from juvenile and adult institutions to fight fires, said Chip Prather, assistant chief of operations for the department. That, however, is a separate operation from the corps.

The Conservation Corps program can train 25 men and women aged 18 to 23. And although women make up 20% of the 1,800 corps members statewide and are encouraged to join the firefighting program, none has yet done so, Schmier said.

Feldtz said the crew’s determination shows.

“I’ve only had them for four days, but they’re really motivated. They really want to be firefighters. Anyone can work at McDonald’s for $5 an hour. But you ain’t gonna get up at 5 in the morning to work at McDonald’s. This shows they’re really motivated to help California,” he said.

Kirk, 21, agrees.

“The pay doesn’t mean anything to me. All my relatives think it’s just great. It makes me happy to know I’m doing something to make them proud,” he said.

Before now, Hathaway said, “I was working at a gas station and hating it. I feel better, more at peace with myself, working for a company that’s doing something good.”