In the state’s largest city, where vagrant and criminal encampments are spreading like wildfire, the state Division of Forestry is not providing classes in basic firefighting, as it is providing across the rest of the state.
The flyer for the classes include ones Kenai, Glennallen, and Fairbanks, where lightning strikes set off fires each summer, but in Anchorage, where outdoor-dwellers start fires such as the massive one at Davis Park in February that burned multiple structures, nothing is being offered for the public to learn about the basics of dealing with a wildfire.
Fire season started early this year due to low snow in Anchorage. In 2024, the Anchorage Fire Department reported responding to 5-20 daily calls related to camps, although not all the calls were due to fires. There are hundreds of individuals living in various stages of temporary shelters. In February, there were over 100 tents at Cuddy Park.
The locations for the RT-130 classes are locations where Alaska wildland firefighting crews are based during the Alaska fire season. RT stands for refresher training. RT-130 classes are for wildland firefighters who already have a “Red Card”, the card that designates that a firefighter has taken and successfully completed basic wild land firefighter training. The RT-130 curriculum would not be suitable for the general public; people who don’t have basic wildfire firefighter training.
Bums are responsible for the fires in Anchorage. Does anyone here think they would attend firefighting classes? Similarly, would people who live near the bum camps actually go to these classes? You tell me.