About YouthWorks Fire Prevention Services
The Youthworks fire prevention team, which is managed by the Wildfire Network, is a social enterprise that grew out of the Verde Community Project, which had initial funding from the City of Santa Fe.
This offering enables “at-risk” young people to develop job skills and gives them the opportunity to participate in meaningful work that will improve life for others in the Santa Fe community.
Contact Us Today
The fire prevention team is ready to help you take the steps you need to safeguard your property from the danger of wildfire.
The crews clear out dead and downed wood and diseased trees to remove the fuel that could put your property at risk in case of fire in your area.
For a free home assessment and information about rates, call 505-780-1082 or email verde@wildfirenetwork.org.
Firefighting Training Scheduled
Now that the monsoon rains make it safe to carry out wildfire mitigation work, the YouthWorks crew is heading once again to the woods.
Training launches in September that will lead to national certification in S130/190 Basic Wildland Firefighting Red Card Training.
The Verde Project was one of eight community partners selected to participate in work funded by a $350,000 grant from the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, which is administered by the USDA Forest Service.
The funding will support programming at YouthWorks for forest wildfire mitigation, youth education, and on-the-job training.
Other grant partners include:
Chris’s Tree Service
Forest Stewards Guild
Institute for Applied Ecology
Lockwood Forestry & Excavation
Morris Surveying/Engineering
New Mexico Recycling Coalition
Wildfire Network
Wildland Fire Training Session Scheduled
Hank Blackwell, former Santa Fe County fire marshal, will lead a training session on April 9, from 9 am to 2 pm, for young people at YouthWorks interested in joining the wildland firefighting crew.
According to Blackwell, “The training will be scientifically sound and put participants ahead ahead of the curve in performing assessments and providing recommendations to residents regarding wildfire and structure ignition.”
For more information, or to sign up, call Devin Baldwin or Kineret Yardena at (505) 989-1855.
Reduce Fire Risk and Help At-Risk Youth
As part of the Verde Community Project, young people from YouthWorks are training with Wildfire Network in various aspects of forestry and fire prevention.
The crew has completed projects for the Santa Fe Institute and for local Santa Fe homeowners to reduce fire danger by clearing property of dead and downed wood.
The material they clear is then turned into compost by YouthWorks crews at Reunity Resources and used to grow vegetables for an after-school meal program managed by the Food Depot for disadvantaged elementary school children. Meals for 1400 students per week are prepared by the YouthWorks catering team under the direction of Chef Carmen Rodriguez.
You can support this program by hiring our crew to thin your property in Santa Fe or East Mountain and surrounding areas.
For a free home assessment and information about rates, call 505-780-1082 or email verde@wildfirenetwork.org.
YouthWorks Crew Featured in NFPA Blog
The YouthWorks wildfire crew was featured in the National Fire Protection Association blog for making an “incredible difference” in the wildfire safety of our community while at the same time learning basic forestry skills.
To read the full blog post, click here.
Verde Project Wildfire Crew Featured
The YouthWorks crew working with Wildfire Network as part of the Verde Community Project received more publicity this week.
The crew was featured in the United Way’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence blog. Click here to read more.
Verde Wildfire Crew Continues Cleanup
The Verde Wildfire crew members continue their work at the Santa Fe Institute’s Tesuque site. They’re clearing dead and downed wood to mitigate the possibility of wildfires, work that will eventually cover more than 100 acres around Santa Fe.
Approximately 1600 tons of dead and down wood will be recycled as biomass, or firewood, or mulch or become healthy compost.
YW Partners with Wildfire Network
Training to Protect the Forest and Fight Wildfires
As part of the Verde Community Project, young people from YouthWorks train with experts from the Wildfire Network to learn ecological monitoring, erosion control techniques, and basic wildland firefighting.
Wildfire Network Briefs Youth on Jobs
On Friday, August 25, Krys Nystrom of the Wildfire Network briefed a young audience at YouthWorks about training opportunities in ecological monitoring, erosion control techniques, and basic wildland firefighting.
These positions are funded by the Verde Community Project, an initiative partially funded by the City of Santa Fe.
Young people, ages 18 through 25, can contact Devin Baldwin at (505) 989-1855 or stop by YouthWorks for more information about participating in this program.
Wildfire Network Recruits for Verde Fund
On Friday, August 25, at 9 am, Krys Nystrom of the Wildfire Network will speak at YouthWorks about training opportunities available through the Verde Community Project.
With the support of the City of Santa Fe Verde Fund, YouthWorks is partnering with the Wildfire Network to provide training to young adults, ages 18 through 25, in ecological monitoring, erosion control techniques, and basic wildland firefighting.
For more information about these training opportunities, please contact Devin Baldwin at (505) 989-1855 or stop by YouthWorks for more information.
Youth Conservation Corps Begins Work
The YouthWorks Youth Conservation Corps is partnering with the City of Santa Fe and the Wildfire Network this summer to deliver public beautification and restoration projects. Classes started with an outdoor session on April 24 led by Wildfire Network Trainer Krys Nystrom.
The crews are already at work at the Santa Fe Institute Tesuque campus, where they hiked the trails to identify trees that need to be thinned. The thinning will control erosion in the area to reduce the risk of wildfire.
This training allows the young people to work toward Basic Firefighter certification, a step on the path to a high-paying career.
As part of the project, the young people will also be engaged in GED coursework at YouthWorks where they will also have access to free counseling and case management services.
