RENO, Nev (FOX5) — Students at one Reno high school are getting a taste of real-world firefighting as they prepare for future careers.
They’re part of the Fire Science Academy at the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno. The program trains high school students with classroom lessons and hands-on drills, and some will spend their summers at fire camps, supporting wildfire crews across the West.
Program expansion
The academy is now expanding to a four-year curriculum. Extension staff who help run the program say up to 20 new freshmen will be admitted each year. With Washoe County now funding a full-time instructor, about 60 students will be enrolled across all four grades this fall.
University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s Living With Fire team developed the program three years ago, in collaboration with the school, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other partners, to help address the increasing need for wildland firefighters…