Veterans in Fire Management in the Allegheny FMZ

The Veterans Fire Corps (VFC) is a collaborative initiative of the Conservation Legacy program that works to connect recent-era veterans with opportunities to acquire skills and training in fire management and remediation. The VFC program works with a wide range of state and federal agencies including the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, AmeriCorps, and the National Park Service. Since 2009, the VFC has successfully engaged over 400 veterans, completed work on over 10,000 acres, and contributed over 50,000 work hours towards fire-related protection and preservation. As a part of the VFC initiative, the National Park Service conducted a pilot training program from January through April of 2022, built around providing training and experience to recent-era veterans. The veteran fire crew worked across much of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia and contributed to fire management at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. Composed of veterans from both the Army and Marine Corps, the team completed work on 250 acres of land, performing a variety of tasks that included historical land restoration, invasive species treatment, fuels reduction, and burn preparation.

Veterans in Fire Management in the Allegheny FMZ

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