HAZEL GREEN, Alabama
,
July 10, 2023
(press release)
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Before starting college,
It's a grueling way to spend summer break, but Mohead is relishing it. She never pictured herself fighting forest fires. "Look at me. I'm really small. I'm really short. And then being a woman of color, that's something, too. I feel like that's more inspiring," Mohead said, grinning. "I got goosebumps right now." The on-site fire academy is part of the 1890
The recruitment effort comes as wildfire season around the
The idea for a consortium came during the pandemic to address a "mission critical area of the
"These four HBCUs have some of the top agricultural programs at HBCUs in the nation. So, it just makes sense to align our efforts and move together in the same direction," Love said. "We're trying to create a pipeline of students who are pursuing this natural resources education and forestry and fire." The hope is every student comes away with a foundation to chart one of many possible paths in forestry, ecology, agriculture or firefighting. The consortium is building on top of a decadeslong relationship between Alabama A&M and the
The Bulldogs established a nationally accredited firefighting team in 2009 made of students, called the FireDawgs. When class isn't in session, the FireDawgs are dispatched to wildfires or burn operations around the country. The development programs that have come out of the
Diversity among the
Black fire personnel have remained mostly around 1.3%. Black women make up around half a percent. The number of Hispanic staff has grown by 10%.
The dearth of applicants of color may partly be due to a lack of awareness. They are not often encouraged to consider firefighting by guidance counselors or recruiters, said
Once students decide to study forestry or related fields, retaining them becomes the next challenge. Love said the
"As the school year progressed, that's when more information about the FireDawgs presented itself," Massey said in between running around in fire gear. "I wanted to just have experience and be able to make the most out of my college experience because I wasn't just going back for fun. I was going back for a purpose." He has since accomplished feats like passing several firefighter work capacity tests including walking 3 miles (5 kilometers) in under 45 minutes while carrying a 45-pound (20-kilogram) pack. In October, he traveled to a conference in
"I didn't want to leave," Massey said. "It was like going into Comic-Con and seeing all the cool stuff and just wanting to take many pictures ... I feel like it has helped me a lot in my career now." Baker, of the
"If we're going to meet these challenges, we're going to have to have everyone," Baker said. "What does that mean to a profession that has been primarily white male?" Black firefighters can feel intimidated and isolated in the field when they parachute into fires in predominately white communities or don't have other crew members of color around them, Baker said. He recalled fire scenes where "people became comfortable enough to openly say I was the first Black person they've ever met in real life that they didn't see on TV." The current crop of students says it has been reassuring to meet HBCU alumni who have gone on to become fire or forestry professionals, noting there is something special about being in the field surrounded by classmates turned crew who look like them. "It makes you more willing to go out there," Mohead said. "If you hit a road stop or obstacle, you have someone on your left who's probably been through it."
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