Often invisible side to stopping a million-acre wildfire

Dramatic fire-retardant drops and massive water douses from helicopters are often the images shown of fighting wildfires like the August Complex. And while those firefighting tactics are indeed a critical part of getting containment around flames, there’s also the gritty, marathon-like work going on at basecamps and on fire lines that most people don’t get to see.

“Yeah 16-hour days. We wake up at the crack of dawn, before that even,” said Gabrielle

Falaschi. She’s one of hundreds of Corpsmembers in the California Conservation Corps who is either fighting fires or working the basecamps that deliver the support fire fighters need to keep going.

“As soon as I finished orientation (at CCC’S Delta Center in Stockton, CA) we were out here. This is about our third week here. It’s really great, working refir,” she said. Refir is short for the task of storing and distributing everything needing refrigeration at basecamp, whether it’s food or first aid.

From sunup to beyond sundown, the CCC Corpsmembers are handling “refir”, chow lines, installing signage and fencing, and issuing firefighting gear like chainsaws, fire pants, hose nozzles – whatever it takes to get the firefighters rested, refueled and back to the fire lines.

“Which means sometimes we have people here that go to town to Walmarts and

Rite Aids, to buy special stuff and things left at home”, said Corpsmember Angel Campos from Compton, CA.

He joined the CCC nearly a year ago. The program enrolls 18-25-year-olds to gain work experience through responding to state emergencies, but mainly through working on environmentally focused projects like building hiking trails and restoring natural habitats.

Corpsmembers are paid a monthly stipend of $1,905 and can earn up to $8,000 in scholarships each year they are enrolled.

Some Corpsmembers enroll specifically to fight wildland fires. They train alongside CAL FIRE and U.S Forest Service – responding to the front lines, including the August Complex Fire where they handdig fire breaks and put out hot spots.

“It’s seriously tough work,” said CCC

Conservationist Cedar Long. She led her crew of 14 Corpsmembers from the CCC Ukiah Center in doing the grueling task of hiking out – on foot – miles of fire hose used by USFS crews as flames surged south of Highway 36 between Red Bluff and Dinsmore.

Her crew was also tasked with preserving the historic Post Creek Guard Station lookout cabin by doing what’s called a structure wrap – literally wrapping the building from baseboard to chimney in foil.

“These are 18 to 25-year-olds doing this work.

It’s on-the-job training for the Corpsmembers and experience they will remember forever” Long said, and experience that can lead to a career.

She added it’s work that doesn’t necessarily make the evening news but does make a huge impact on both the young Corpsmembers and local communities.

Back at the August Complex basecamp, Gabrielle takes a breather from her 16-hour day that she finds comfort in knowing it’s helping the fight against flames consuming wildland, property and sadly, lives.

“You’re doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for the firefighters. You’re doing it for the community. You’re doing it for California. We live here, you gotta make it a great place to be.”