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Sen. Udall recognizes students for wildland firefighting

December 22, 2011

On Dec. 14, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall's office recognized three Colorado State University firefighting interns who fought wildland fires in Colorado during the 2011 fire season.

Valuable hands-on experience

Pamela Shaddock, Sen. Udall’s representative for the Northeastern Colorado Region, visited campus to personally acknowledge Warner College of Natural Resources students Morgan Derr, Ben Spatola and Steve Cox.

Derr, Spatola and Cox served as wildland firefighters in 2011 through an internship program offered by the Colorado State Forest Service, a service and outreach agency of the WCNR. From May until late August, the interns worked with crews on two engines based in the CSFS Fort Collins District and gained valuable hands-on experience fighting and learning about wildland fire.

'Heroic efforts'

The recognition was related to a bipartisan Senate Resolution introduced by Sen. Udall and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to distinguish “the heroic efforts of firefighters to contain numerous wildfires that have affected thousands of people throughout the United States” in 2011. The resolution, which passed unanimously in the Senate, encourages everyone to address wildfire prevention in their communities and to remember fallen firefighters.

Students interested in the CSFS Fire Internship Program can apply for the 2012 season or e-mail Wilson Branch for more information.