New firefighters practice skills and build bike paths at the same time
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IDAHO FALLS — In a Thursday two-for-one, new firefighters got valuable training and built a new bike path.
Firefighters finishing up their Bureau of Land Management wildfire training spent the day at Ryder Park in Idaho Falls building a practice fire line. That fire line will also be used as a new bike path.
“They’re learning the basics of fire line digging. We start with our Pulaskis (axe/pickaxe) up front,” BLM spokeswoman Kelsey Griffee said. “Then we have some shovels and some other scraping tools mixed in to pull that dirt back.”
A fire line is used to help contain a wildfire. Fire can’t burn dirt and digging a trench around a wildfire helps prevent the fire from spreading.
“We’re going to have this turn into some awesome bike trials for the public to use at Ryder Park,” she said.
Griffee said normally they would take the new firefighters up to a spot in the backcountry to practicing digging lines. However, local trail designer Trent Fell worked out a deal with the BLM to practice at Hyde Park and in doing so create the new paths.
The trails dug by the BLM are part of a three-phase project started by Fell and a group of volunteers to build new bike paths at Ryder Park. He and a group of volunteers began last summer by building a beginners trail.
“Ryder Park already has some fantastic trails that are family friendly (and) kid-friendly. People should come and check it out,” Griffee said.
As for the new firefighters. BLM Engine Captain fire school instructor Emily Barker said she is confident in their abilities as the 2019 fire season approaches.
“They’re a good group of individuals. They’ve been asking really good questions in the classroom and I can see them grasping the basic concepts of fire,” Barker said.