Young Firefighters Learn the Art of Leadership

Every spring, firefighters can be found in various trainings all over the country. It is part of the pre-season preparedness to ensure they are not only mentally preparing for the fire season, but enhancing and refining their skills from year to year.


The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) recently hosted an interagency L-280 course titled Followership to Leadership. This course was part of the Southwest Idaho Fire Training week, implemented each year by the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM. This two-day course consisted of one day in the classroom and a second day in the field. Students especially love the second day, as they're put together into teams and challenged with activities that test their problem-solving skills. Most of the challenges revolve around communication and using the varying styles of leadership.

Damian Martinez, Boise BLM Firefighter, briefs his crew of interagency firefighters on the situation they face.

One such activity, nicknamed "Spider Web", tests the capabilities of the students to think outside the box. The Problem: the crew is faced with an imaginary oncoming fire. They have 20 minutes to get to the other side of the "electric fence" (large tarp with large holes in it, tied to a soccer goal) without touching the fence AND hamstrung by only being able to use each hole once. One group leader, Boise BLM Firefighter Damian Martinez, obtained a briefing from the station leader before briefing his crew of three. Working creatively, Martinez's crew put their minds together and moved themselves and their gear through the electric fence successfully in record time. 

On the right, Boise BLMer Carl Bernardi passes his teammate Damian Martinez through the "electric fence" to two USFS employees – without sizzling him on the tarp.

"Many groups don't do as well as this bunch did," commented the station leader, a Boise National Forest employee. "It's nice to see these young firefighters working together, working fast and taking pride in accomplishing a goal. This particular group really paid attention to detail in the briefing, catching the fact that the firefighters can't touch the fence, but their gear, the provided parachute cord and the backboard, can," he said.

In the middle of a blindfolded walk, USFS and BLM firefighters are guided only by a whistle to stay between the lines and step over obstacles.

Some of the other activities included blindfolded walks guided by a leader with a whistle, balancing activities with ropes and milk jugs, and putting together Lego kits without certain means of communications. The firefighting "L" courses are noted for hands-on, active involvement by the students and have proven to be successful and meaningful courses.

Said one student, "I love the L-courses because there's no death by PowerPoint!"

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Story and photos by Kari Boyd-Peak, NIFC External Affairs
Story reprinted from The BLM Daily, June 13, 2016.