VGC Alumni on GI Jobs

For some veterans, the prospect of driving a desk when they transition from the military isn’t very appealing. One group of such vets found a great bridge from the military to careers in land management: the Veterans Fire Corps (VFC).

This all-veteran wildland firefighting crew is operating this spring in southwestern Colorado. Led by former Army Capt. Lew Sovocool, 29, the nine-member squad fights wildfires in the San Juan National Forest.

“There’s a sense of teamwork and camaraderie that exists in wildland firefighting that is very similar to that which we all experienced in the military,” said Sovocool, whose crew works out of the Durango office of the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC). “The work is tough and dirty but is purpose-driven, which I believe is very attractive to veterans. There’s also the excitement and adrenaline rush that pushed us toward the military. There is a sense of national service which all of us are proud to be a part of.”

After two weeks of paid training, veterans use chainsaws and hand tools to remove dense vegetation around homes and infrastructure to prevent a fire from becoming catastrophic. Veterans earn $300 a week, with all gear and transportation to the work site provided. Housing is not currently offered, but crews sometimes camp near work sites.

The VFC program evolved from the Veterans Green Corps program, which began enlisting veterans in 2009 to perform trail maintenance, trail construction, fuel reduction and other projects on public land.

“The idea was to place veterans in a cohort group where they could work together in an emotionally safe environment, gain job skills and training and hopefully pursue natural resources related positions with federal or local land management agencies” such as parks, national forests and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Sovocool said.

Sovocool said he hopes the VFC program will expand. “After our trial run last year and the overwhelming success, we’re hoping to expand these opportunities as we grow the program into the future,” Sovocool said.

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