Dec. 17, 2001 – When forest fires lit Holston Mountain in Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee, recently, firefighters from Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center answered the call. And among the 10-man crew that arrived on the scene an hour later was Takebo Malone of St. Thomas.
The Job Corps firefighters, most in their late teens or early 20s, according to a Job Corps release, worked at the scene for five days until the seven fires burning across 285 acres were contained.
Malone enrolled at Jacobs Creek Center, which is within the Cherokee National Forest, in March of this year, at the age of 18, and has nearly completed his GED, said Michael Scott Moore, supervisor of the St. Thomas-St. Croix Job Corps offices.
"He's a very bright, very industrious young man," said Moore, noting that Malone plans to continue his education at a community college. "We're proud of him."
Malone is one of eight student-volunteer firefighters at the center.
"We are very proud of our firefighters," Jacobs Creek Center director Fred Rowe said. "Whenever and wherever the U.S. Forest Service needs us, Jacobs Creek will be ready."
Once the Jacobs Creek firefighters pass the physical requirements – carrying a 45-pound pack three miles in 45 minutes or less at a walking pace – they take a three-day training course in safety and technique. Then they wait for the call, which usually comes once or twice a year.
In August, Jacobs Creek dispatched a crew to Moses Lake, Wash., where Job Corps firefighters stayed two weeks battling a blaze in the Okanogan National Forest.
The Jacobs Creek crew on Holston Mountain included two Job Corps staffers and seven other students in addition to Malone.
"It was easier the second time, because I knew what to expect," said Roscoe Jackson, 19, a culinary arts student who was on his second response assignment. "Getting the experience of fighting fires, it’s kind of exciting. But I don’t think I’d do it for a living."
Why do it at all? Some Job Corps students do it for the money, earning $10 to $11 per hour. Others do it for the excitement, the release said. All earn respect from their peers at Jacobs Creek and sincere thanks from the U.S. Forest Service.
"We pretty much hand-pick who we take," said Wayne Corder, assistant residential living supervisor at Jacobs Creek and firefighters crew boss since 1987. "They’re sort of the cream of the crop. We have a sign: Only The Best Go West."
Established in 1964, Job Corps is the nation’s oldest and largest job-training program. Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, it provides training, room and board, and medical care at 118 centers nationwise at no cost to students, who also receive a living allowance. Most youths spend about eight months in the program.
