Mount Wachusett Community College offers forest fire control course

With the recent Canada wildfires and their widespread effects in the headlines this week, it’s worth noting that many wildland firefighters have been trained in the Chair City.

Mount Wachusett Community College is one of only two schools in the state – and the only community college east of the Mississippi – to offer the Forest Fire Control and Management course, in which graduates are federally certified.

The course was established in 2021 by MWCC faculty member George LoCascio, who worked for four years in Flagstaff, AZ, as a Type 1 hand crew firefighter, also known as a “hot shot,” a specially trained firefighter that works around the hottest parts of a wildfire.

MWCC courses established to ensure firefighting skill would be taught in state

LoCascio said he established the course to ensure it would continue to be taught at the college level in the state.

“Dr. Bill Patterson at UMass has been teaching the S-130/190 (basic wildland fire training course) since 1982 and has since retired,” LoCascio explained, adding that Patterson does continue to teach the course each spring. “I just want to make sure that the course in some capacity continues in higher education within our state since it is such an important topic.”

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It’s possible the recent wildfires in Canada could boost interest in the training course offered at MWCC, LoCascio said.

“These fires are not isolated to Canada or the Western US,” he said. “We too have big fires on a cyclical basis here in New England. We also conducted many prescribed fires in (the state). If folks have this certification, they can be involved with those activities and understand how and why we do what we do.”

Students attend field day in Winchendon, including live fire exercises

To recreate wildfire conditions for students, LoCascio collaborates with the Winchendon Fire Department to hold an all-day field day which includes the burning of small areas of grass for a live fire exercise.

“(The WFD) support our class with their personnel and brush truck,” LoCascio said. “In addition, we also use fire outside during our lab where we calculate the rate or spread and a few other fire characteristics on a very small scale in a safe and controlled manner.”

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Gardner Fire Chief Greg Lagoy said it was exciting to see MWCC expanding its Fire Science program.

“The Forest Fire Control and Management class is a unique addition to their offerings, obviously it’s not available in many places,” Lagoy said. “This new class offering is a great opportunity for local firefighters to gain knowledge and practical training about handling forest and brush fires.”

LoCascio said the course was aimed at anyone who was generally interested in learning about wildland fires and prescribed burns.

“The course is not just intended for the Environmental Conservation degree students – it is accessible to anyone,” LoCascio explained, adding that he highly recommended the course to anyone working at a fire department. “This knowledge base is extremely important to understand since Massachusetts alone sees up to hundreds of wildfires every year.”

Eastern Massachusetts did not typically experience large forest fires like those seen in other parts of the country, Lagoy said, adding that brush fires were more common in this region.

“There have been multiple, large-scare, multi-day fires in the state over the past several years that have required the deployment of task forces through the State Fire Mobilization Plan when local fire departments are overwhelmed,” he explained.

“The increased sprawl of the development in the area has increased firefighters’ awareness of challenges that come with Wildland-Urban Interface fires, where multiple homes and other structures are located in close proximity to overgrown, undeveloped areas,” Lagoy added.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Mount Wachusett Community College Forest Fire Control Management