- Firefighters shared wildfire experiences with students at Jordan Academy for Technology & Careers on Thursday.
- The program offers hands-on training in firefighting science and emotional regulation skills.
SALT LAKE CITY — Some of the firefighters who battled wildland fires this year returned to the classroom to share their experiences with high school students.
The firefighters and the students they spoke to are connected through the fire science program at Jordan Academy for Technology & Careers. The program gives teens hands-on training before they face real-world emergencies.
The Jordan Academy for Technology & Careers program allows students to take core classes at their home high schools while spending part of the week learning firefighting science, physical skills and emotional regulation at the academy. They also offer an EMT course.
Unified Fire Authority firefighters Carson Russell and Dalton Timothy graduated from Jordan Academy for Technology & Careers in 2023. They spent this summer on the front lines of wildfires across the West.
Russell fought the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley for 14 days, working to protect homes and contain flames.
He said the skills he learned at the academy — from rope tying to timed drills — prepared him for the challenge.
"I was in charge of four other people on my squad, and I was a squad boss," Russell said. "As a 19-year-old kid, that's pretty intimidating when you're making calls and decisions. It opens you up to those uncomfortable spots … and makes you mature faster."
Timothy spent his summer in Jackson, Wyoming, monitoring millions of acres and hiking rugged terrain to extinguish fires sparked by lightning strikes.
"I think, definitely it gives you the upper hand over other people that don't have the luxury of being in this program, because there's just so much that it teaches you in the dynamics and fire culture," Timothy said.
What they've accomplished inspires students like Titan McMullin.
"I look up to them a lot because they did it," he said. "It's a lot of work and I don't know, hopefully in two, three years, we'll be there."
