November 26, 2012, Silver City, NM- The Gila National Forest will be conducting the first training session for the Southwest Forest Fire Fighter (SWFFF) recruitment program. This session will be given exclusively for students, both college and high school (given that a high school student will be 18 years of age by graduation), and will focus on fire fighter and camp crew positions. Candidates must bring a current student ID card. Additional training opportunities for interested non-student candidates will be announced after the holiday season.

SWFFF have a long and distiguished history in the southwest. The concept of "call-when-needed" fire crews can be traced back to the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the "Red Hats" fire crews that were organized in the spring of 1948 to address increasing fire activity on tribal lands. As a highly successful approach to fire fighting, SWFFF crews eventually branched out to all able-bodied individuals who knew how to swing an axe and use a shovel. Strong work ethics and pride in a job well done keep SWFFF crews in use each fire season and with forests experiencing ever-increasing fire danger, crew members can expect to be called to duty frequently.

To qualify for the SWFFF recruitment program, candidates must attend the Introductory Session on November 30, 2012 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Gila Supervisors' Office at 3005 E. Camino del Bosque in Silver City. Candidates must also attend all of the 40 hour class on December 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the 21st from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Bataan Memorial Park, 35 Old Ft. Bayard Rd. in Ft. Bayard.

The Introductory meeting is expected to last an hour. Candidates must bring the following documents to the Introductory meeting to be accepted into the training session: two (2) forms of personal identification, one of which must have a picture. Personal ID can be current state issued drivers' license, current passport, or social security card. Additionally, candidates must bring their bank account routing information for direct deposit purposes. Application packets will be available at the Gila National Forest Supervisors' Office in Silver City beginning November 19th, between 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. It is strongly advised to have applications completed prior to the Introductory meeting. Background checks and drug testing may be applied. Candidates who do not attend Introductory meeting and the 40 hour training class will not be accepted into the SWFFF program. Candidates must also pass the Work Capacity Test, which involves walking 3 miles with a 45 pound pack in 45 minutes. Good physical fitness is a critical factor in passing this test and it is advised that individuals begin a fitness regimen immediately to assure they will pass the arduous fitness test.

For further information, please contact Gabe Holguin, Gila National Forest Fire Staff Officer, at 575.388.8233, or 575.388.8201.