CVIT Fire Science Program prepares the next generation of firefighters

Despite a recent career move to the private sector, Barry Johnson has maintained his connection to the Cobre Valley Institute of Technology to impart his decades of experience to a new generation of firefighters.

The former Fire Management Officer for the Tonto National Forest, Globe Ranger District, returned for his seventh year to teach CVIT's Fire Science Program, a one-semester dive into the technicalities of the science, from weather predictions to the physical work of firefighting.

Johnson, who was a mainstay in Forestry for 24 years before moving on to become a Fire Mitigation Specialist for the Salt River Project, brings experience and connections to classes in a vital field for the region.

He says the most important thing he teaches his students is leadership, whether they go into the firefighting field or not.

“I love getting them up in front of the class to speak to get them more comfortable with doing those leadership roles,” Johnson says. “Whether you fight fire or not, you're gonna have a journey ahead of you, and here's the core values to go try to crush it.”

There are seven classes over eight weeks, with the final class a full day in the field.

The course utilizes the same curriculum used by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a federal agency that establishes “common practices and requirements that enable efficient and coordinated national interagency wildland fire operations.”

There are five certificates associated with the class and students who successfully complete the course are “plug and play ready” to work for fire agencies in government or the private sector.

“Whether you work for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, whether it's the state of Arizona, even if you're a contractor, everybody is under that NWCG,” Johnson says, adding that CVIT support has been invaluable. "(CVIT Superintendent) Mike O'Neal has done a lot with the program: We've been working together throughout the duration of my time here, and he does a great job. The college has been great, and Tri City Fire and Globe Fire have been a huge help.”