ECST Students Battle Wildfires in California
As of last week, more than 9,000 ongoing wildfires in California had burned more than 4 million acres, making 2020 the largest wildfire season in the state’s modern history. Earlier this season, Cal State LA students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in the unique Fire Protection Administration and Technology program were among those on the front lines battling blazes and helping save lives and property. The stories of Hector Banda, a senior, sophomore Jocelyn Cardenas, and Anthony Galvez, completing his final year, are told in an article by Myles Bridgewater-Jackman for the Cal State LA News Service. Read their story here… Also on the front lines was Andrew Salinas, a student in the Cal State LA program and a wildland firefighter with the United States Forest Service. Salinas is now also a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army—a commission he received in a virtual ceremony on September 18, 2020 that had to be planned last minute around his firefighting duties. His story is told in an article by Michael Maddox in the soldier feature section of the U.S. Army website. Read Andrew's full article here…