Firefighter training legislation receives Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing

U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) are commending a recent Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing regarding the Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act, which seeks to address more firefighter training.

The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Department of Interior to offer specialized training, specifically wildland firefighter training, to Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center (CCC) students.

“Season after season, climate chaos continues to intensify wildfire risk in the West, and it is scary to think that we might not have enough wildland firefighters to stay on top of this growing danger,” Merkley said. “Civilian Conservation Centers play such an important role in training new firefighters and helping get more folks into the hiring pipeline. In Oregon, these facilities not only make our communities safer by reducing the risk of wildfires but also provide valuable job training for at-risk youth in rural areas. So I’m glad this bill is getting the attention it needs in a timely manner.”

Merkley said Oregon and the West would benefit if the pipeline of qualified wildland firefighters grows.

Bill provisions include establishing a goal for the Forest Service and the Department of Interior to hire 300 CCC graduates each annually for wildland firefighter or other workforce needs; clarifying the Forest Service and Department of Interior’s authority to pay CCC students for work to improve federal lands; and creating a pilot program deploying CCC students to repair or construct workforce housing to house wildland firefighters and other agency employees.

“Montana’s job corps centers do a great job at helping train and prepare young Montanans to enter the workforce,” Daines said. “Congress and the Forest Service must work together to ensure Montana’s job corps centers are the best that they can be.”