Unified Training, Statewide Impact: Building Trust Across Alaska’s Firegrounds

Alaska’s wildfire landscape is changing. With more fuel on the ground, longer seasons, and work on statewide fuelbreak projects starting earlier and ending later, the need for mission-ready crews is constant. The state’s Basic and Intermediate Wildland Fire Academies are designed to meet that need — intensive 12-day sessions that shape raw potential into confident, capable firefighters ready to operate in Alaska’s most demanding conditions.

Hosted at Birchwood Camp in Chugiak, these academies bring together cadets from every corner of the state — from the remote southwest villages of Chevak, Kalskag, Kwethluk, Hooper Bay, and Scammon Bay, to Fairbanks, Copper River Basin, Delta Junction, and the Kenai Peninsula. This statewide gathering forms a vibrant, driven, and diverse community of future fire leaders.

🔥 2025 BASIC GRADUATING CADETS

Watch the Best of Basic Academy musical slideshow above. Photo/UAS credit: DOF PIO Kale Casey

🔥 2025 INTERMEDIATE GRADUATING CADETS

Watch the Best of Intermediate Academy musical slideshow above. Photo/UAS credit: DOF PIO Kale Casey

🔥 From the Classroom to the Fireline

What these cadets have been learning is currently being applied on the ground. On the Anchorage Hillside, fire crews are hard at work on the East-West Connector Fuels Project, where hundreds of piles of hazardous fuels have been burned in the last week. This type of operation — involving hose lays, pump setups and ignition techniques — is exactly what cadets work on mastering during their time at the academy.

It’s a direct and powerful example of training meeting operational reality, and a testament to Alaska’s commitment to developing fireline-ready personnel who can be trusted in some of the harshest conditions the fire world has to offer.

🎯 Academy Mission: Building Firefighters with a Moral Compass and Strong Fundamentals

Alaska’s Wildland Fire Academies exist to build not just technical capacity but character. The mission statement is simple and powerful:

“Alaska’s Wildland Fire Academies strive to build firefighters with a strong moral compass, effective leadership, and solid firefighting fundamentals.”

Through strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a deeply ingrained commitment to excellence, the academies seek to instill:

• Work Ethic
• Professionalism
• Competence

These qualities aren’t just useful on fires — they’re carried forward in every mission and community these cadets will serve.

🧭 Core Values That Drive the Academy

These values are reinforced daily through physical training, field exercises, and leadership development. As the motto goes, “Train like we fight” — and that means long days, relentless pace, and an environment that mirrors the stress and intensity of real-world incidents.

Unseen Heroes: Northern & Coastal Dispatch Keep the Academy Running

The Basic and Intermediate Academies operate thanks to the unwavering support of the Northern and Coastal Region Dispatch Centers, whose personnel in logistics, finance, technology, and field support carry a heavy lift so that cadets can focus on learning, growing, and becoming future fireline leaders.

An Experienced Cadre with National Reach

This year, the Basic and Intermediate Academies featured a cadre of ten experienced firefighters blending local knowledge and national best practices.

Cadre included:

• Ben Engelhardt, Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot, returning Academy Incident Commander and a Lieutenant with the Manitou Springs Fire Department (CO).
• Matt Jones, Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot Superintendent, Academy Operations Chief and instructor. Matt lives in Kansas and is a fire protection specialist with the Kansas Forest Service (KFS).
• Christopher Hanson, Deputy Operations Chief, classroom and field instructor. Christopher is the Workforce Development Specialist with Kansas Forest Service. (KFS)
• Brent Bensen, A former Pioneer Peak Hotshot, now serving as a fire protection specialist with the Kansas Forest Service (KFS), he returns to the Academy as an instructor and coach, bringing both frontline experience and interagency perspective.
• Jeff Lawler, A Missouri-based coach and instructor, currently serving as a fire protection specialist with the Kansas Forest Service (KFS), provides advanced field instruction to cadets.
• Daniel Skriloff, Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot and Saw Boss. Daniel is a returning instructor providing advanced field instruction, classroom teaching and squad coaching. He is a current Alaska Department of TRANSPORTATION and PUBLIC FACILITIES employee.
• Justin Hansen, Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot and a Subject Matter Expert during all saw S-212 operations. Justin is works for Matanuska Electric Association as a Tree Felling Specialist.
• Jarrod MacNeil, Alaska Fire Medic and returning Academy EMT/Instructor.
• Kale Casey, Academy Public Information Officer, instructor and UAS drone pilot.
• Nathan Zalewksi, Current wildland firefighter, Alaska Wildland Fire Academy Coordinator, and both classroom and field instructor.

Bridging North and South: Interagency Collaboration That Builds National-Ready Firefighters

Each year, following Alaska’s intense fire season, many of the state’s firefighting personnel and crews deploy to wildfire incidents across the Lower 48 — sometimes for up to three or four additional months. This extended operational season not only bolsters national firefighting efforts but also offers invaluable opportunities for Alaska’s wildland firefighters to gain diverse experience in a range of fuel types, terrains, climates, and incident complexities.

To prepare for this broader mission, the Alaska Wildland Fire Academies are intentionally designed to meet and exceed national standards. By incorporating the best practices from the Lower 48 and blending them with the realities of Alaska’s own fire environment, the academies ensure that firefighters are mission-ready whether they’re responding to tundra fires in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta or steep slope operations in the Rockies.

A central component of this preparation is the long-standing partnership with the Kansas Forest Service (KFS). This interagency collaboration brings world-class instructional support, leadership experience, and real-time knowledge of evolving tactics used across the contiguous U.S.

The Kansas Forest Service continues to be a vital force multiplier for Alaska’s training ecosystem. Their team of four seasoned instructors contributes not only curriculum enrichment and advanced field instruction but also a culture of mentorship that spans across state lines. These professionals – all of whom have experience in Alaska – offer insights into diverse suppression environments — from the pine barrens of the Midwest to wildland-urban interface zones in the Rockies — helping Alaska’s cadets understand the full scope of wildland firefighting in the United States.

Through this partnership, Alaskan firefighters are exposed to national standards and tactics early in their careers, giving them a critical edge when called to assist in national mobilizations. And when those same Lower 48 partners arrive in Alaska during peak fire activity, there’s already a mutual respect and common understanding in place — forged in the classroom and tested on the fireline.

This model of cooperation reflects the very spirit of the Alaska Wildland Fire Academies: shared values, continuous learning, and a readiness to serve wherever the mission demands.

Guest Speakers – 2025 Academies

We extend a heartfelt thank-you to our guest speakers for investing in these cadets and sharing insights from careers in fire, leadership, and emergency response:

• Jon Glover – Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot and current AFD Wildland Division Chief
• Kris Baumgartner – Superintendent Pioneer Peak Hot Shots (IHC)
• Matt Lindsey – Former Pioneer Peak Hot Shot and Anchorage Entrepreneur
• Tim Troxell – Superintendent Gannett Glacier Initial Attack Crew
• Dr. Jade Ekle – Owner and long time supporter of hard working wildland firefighters.
• Erica Tresham – State of Alaska Health and Wellness Program Coordinator
• Tim Kohley – Current Pioneer Peak Hot Shot

📈 Pathway to Leadership

The academies don’t just produce firefighters — they build a pipeline for leadership. Many cadets are on a trajectory that leads to positions on Alaska’s most elite crews like Gannett Glacier and Pioneer Peak Hotshots. By starting with solid fundamentals in:

• Pump operations
• Chain saw proficiency
• First aid and CPR
• Helicopter coordination
• Firing operations and structure triage
• L-280 Leadership training

…these cadets lay the groundwork for careers defined by safety, resilience, and command presence.

And in a place like Alaska — with its swamps, tundra, sudden wind shifts, biting rain, and mosquitoes that rival birds — resilience isn’t just a word. It’s a requirement.

🎓 Graduation Day — Watch the Full Videos on YouTube

Watch the Basic Graduation above and the Intermediate Graduation below.

🌲 Final Word

As Alaska faces more intense and unpredictable fire seasons, these academies represent a proactive investment in the people who will protect the places we all value. With strong partnerships, clear values, and tough-as-nails training, Alaska’s Wildland Fire Academies are not just preparing cadets for the next fire — they’re preparing them for a lifetime of service, leadership, and impact.

🔗 Learn More, Get Involved

• 🔥 Alaska Training Info: forestry.alaska.gov/training
• 🧑‍🚒 EFF Recruitment: forestry.alaska.gov/training/recruitment
• 🩺 Fire Medic Program: forestry.alaska.gov/fire/medicalprogram

🎥 Watch Academy Shorts & Reels: YouTube.com/@AlaskaDNRDOF/shorts
📺 Full Videos & Playlist: Alaska Wildland Fire Academy YouTube Playlist

#AlaskaWildlandFireAcademy2025
#TrainLikeWeFight
#WildlandFireTraining

Categories: AK Fire Info, Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry (DOF), recruitment, Training

Tags: Academy 2025, Alaska Division of Forestry, Alaska Wildland Fire Academy, Basic Academy, Intermediate Academy, Kansas Forest Service