See YouTube Video of Crew in Action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6EqwtdHRFI

A day after receiving U.S. Forest Service certification, a newly-minted California Conservation Corps fire crew was on the front lines, putting its skills to work.

The initial attack crew is in addition to the 73 CCC crews -- more than 800 corpsmembers -- currently providing logistical support at 18 U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE fire camps throughout California. This is the largest CCC fire response in the program’s history.

The newly certified crew of 20 corpsmembers, headed by the CCC’s Shawn Fry of Redding, was dispatched to the Motion Fire in Shasta County within hours. Carrying 40-pound packs and armed with axes or chainsaws, the young men and women were assigned to cut fire breaks for a 24-hour shift.

Twenty-year-old Brian Blanchard reflected on his first fire. “It’s hot and I’m sweating like crazy and I’ve got blisters on my feet,” he said. “It’s hard work but you tough it out and keep working.... I love what I’m doing.”

“Our corpsmembers are highly motivated and hard-working,” said crew boss Fry. “We look forward to training more to fight fires during this fire season.”

CCC Communications Director Jimmy Camp participated in the rigorous U.S. Forest Service fire training with the Redding crew, was certified, and joined them on the Shasta County fire.

“I couldn’t be more impressed, seeing these corpsmembers battle the fire on the front lines,” Camp said. “We can add more of these highly-trained crews to the state’s fire resources before the summer is out.”

After coming off their first 24-hour fire stint, the corpsmembers were thanked by Gov. Schwarzenegger at the Shasta County Fairgrounds..

The California Conservation Corps, created in 1976, hires young women and men for a year of environmental work and emergency response. Typical projects include building parks and trails, planting trees, improving fish and wildlife habitat and much more. The CCC has responded to nearly every major wildfire since the program was established, and also helps with forest rehabilitation efforts when the fires are out.