Wildland Firefighting Minor

Program Codes: WFM
Minor

Demand for wildland firefighters is expected to grow in response to more intense and frequent wildfires, particularly at the urban-wildland interface. The U.S. Forest Service spends over $1 billion annually with 47 million homes at “high risk” of loss from wildfire. The development of this minor is a direct response to this need with entry-level firefighters earning ~$40,000 during a six-month fire season.

Paul Smith’s College has a long history of training wildland firefighters dating back to the late 1940s.This includes both formal courses dedicated to wildland firefighting and informal relationships with organizations such as NY Department of Environmental Conservation and the US Forest Service. This minor formalizes our relationship with DEC and includes their commitment to offer S-130 and S-190 to students taking FOR 360 as part of the Wildland Firefighting minor. Successful completion of S-130 and S-190 result in the student being issued a “red card”, the basic credential needed to be on a fire crew.

The goal of this minor is to give students both the hard skills related to wildland firefighting, and the ecological and technological underpinnings to enter wildland firefighting careers.

Contact the Department Chairperson

Minor Requirements:

OR

Note: FOR 206 is a summer forestry block course.

Total Credits 16

Contact Information

Forestry

Dr. Brett McLeod

Pickett Hall 107

518-327-6990

bmcleod@paulsmiths.edu

 


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