Wildland firefighter trainees prepare for fast-approaching wildfire season: 'Opportunity to give back'

Wildfire season is only weeks away from heating up and the people on the front lines aren’t wasting any time getting ready.

It takes wildland firefighter trainees around 50 hours of classroom training and additional training in the field to become certified to fight wildfires.

"This is my opportunity to give back," said wildland firefighter Reese Cousins. "To protect people and property is our number one mission."

On field day, trainees work through four different exercises that prepare them for fighting high-risk flames, such as digging trench lines and deploying a portable fire shelter, to complete their certification.

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"Really giving them that sort of hands-on opportunity to really talk with instructors and go over stuff that virtual training really cannot replicate," said Thomas Kyle Milward with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

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