Meade County Firewise Program   
"Hire a Veteran Initiative"
 
Funded by the Bureau of Land Management 
"Hire a Veteran, train a Veteran, and you will help a Veteran transition back into civilian society"
 




The Meade County / Bureau of Land Management "Veteran in the Woods" intiative has been in operation for over a year.  A total of nine veterans have been employed under this program with five of them successfully transitioned into full-time employment and one into college via veteran benefits. 

While employed under this program,  the veterans are afforded multiple opportunities to train in wildland fire skills - in addition to their respective career fields of interest.  Focused efforts find them educated on resume writing and career interview techniques.  Additionally, they are given one on one time with veteran service resources to ensure they are fully educated on all veteran programs; to include funding/employment opportunities. 

Over the past year, the Veteran Firewise program has treated (FireWise) 30 private properties.  These residential  properties have benefited from tree thinning and fuel reductions to resist the threat from wildfire.  

Well received by the community; FireWise projects continue to be coordinated with Meade County residents.  There is a landowner cost share of 20% which assists in funding the program.  

The Meade County FireWise program is funded, assisted and guided by Travis Lipp, Fire Management Specialist out of the Belle Fourche, SD - BLM Field Office. 


Citizen Letter of Thanks 

Meade County Firewise Meets 
SD Senator John Thune

On June 6th the Meade County and Pennington County Firewise Teams were on site to discuss the program and its efforts to aid Veterans in returning to the workforce.  Meade County FireWise Coordinator Travis Ugland and Commission Assistant Jerry Derr - explain the benefits (veteran support) of the program to Senator John Thune. 

Current Firewise Veterans

 

 

 

Travis Ugland - Veteran  

Meade County Fire Mitigation Coordinator

 



Mark Schild - Veteran 
Meade County Fire Mitigation Specialist

New Hire March 2014

 



Jake Ford - Veteran 
Meade County Fire Mitigation Specialist

New Hire February 2014

Program Graduates
Veteran Aaron Thomas  joined the Firewise Program in August of 2013.  Aaron successfully found full-time employment in March 2014.
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded Aaron the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.

Good luck on your new endeavors and thanks for your service! 
 
Veteran Keith Bryan  joined the Firewise Program in July of 2013.  Keith successfully found full-time employment in February 2014. 
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded Keith the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.

Good luck on your new endeavors and thanks for your service! 
 
Veteran Keith Weyrich  joined the Firewise Program in June of 2013.  Keith successfully found full-time employment in October 2013. 
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded Keith the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.

 
Veteran James Adams  joined the Firewise Program in January of 2013.  James successfully enrolled in college in August 2013. 
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded James the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.
 
Veteran Shawn Dempsey  joined the Firewise Program in January of 2013.  Shawn successfully found full-time employment in April 2013 as a Meade County Deputy Sheriff. 
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded Shawn the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.
Dan Campbell
 
Veteran Daniel Campbell  joined the Firewise Program in December of 2012.  Dan successfully found full-time employment in April 2013.
 
The BLM funded "Veteran Initiative"  afforded Dan the opportunity to support himself - while gaining skills and training to assist him with his career goals.
Pollen Everywhere!
Meade County FireWise
Meade County FireWise
 
VETS At Work

The primary goal of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan is to reduce the risk from wildfire to life, property, and critical infrastructure. The Wildland Urban-Interface, (WUI), is a set of conditions that exist when man-made fuels (e.g. structures and other human development) meets or intermingles with natural vegetative fuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Interior identified a list of communities at risk from wildfire and placed them in the Federal Register. Communities are located in the WUI and are in the vicinity of federal lands and have been identified as being at high risk from wildfire.
Studying for the Commercial Driver's License
Jake Ford and Mark Schild studying to obtain their CDL
 
With the assistance of Meade County Highway Department Jake was able to have several hours behind the wheel as well as utilize one of there trucks for the actual test.
 
Mark is scheduled to take the exam in July.

A special thanks to Ken McGirr and Scott Togethoff for their time and expertise.


Truck Donated by Meade County 
Nemo, SD Job Site 
Benefits of Hiring a Veteran
 

 

Leadership

 

The military trains people to accept and discharge responsibility for other people, for activities, for resources and for one's own behavior. This training includes setting an example, giving carefully considered direction, inspiring leadership capabilities in others and continually motivating others.

 

Ability to Work as a Team Member and as a Team Leader

 

Almost all military activity is performed with the assistance, coordination and awareness of other persons or other units. Many military personnel serve as team leaders where they have analyzed situations and options, made appropriate decisions, given directions, followed through with a viable plan and accepted responsibility for the outcome.

 

Ability to Work under Pressure and Meet Deadlines

 

One characteristic of military service is that service members must perform. They must do their job, do it right the first time and do it in a timely manner. They are continuously setting priorities, meeting schedules and accomplishing their missions.

 

Ability to Give and Follow Direction

 

Service members know how to work under supervision and can relate and respond favorably to others. They understand accountability for their actions and for their subordinates' actions. They have learned to respect and accept legitimate authority.

 

Drug-free

 

With an honorable discharge, service members are basically certified drug-free.

 

Security Clearances

 

Many military personnel have achieved some level of security clearance. This clearance can, at least, demonstrate that an individual is recognized as a trustworthy person.

 

Planning and Organization

 

Most military operations require thorough planning and workload management. Carefully considered objectives, strengths and limitations of other people, resources, time schedules, supplies, logistics and various other factors are always considered.

 

Emphasis on Safety

 

Service members understand the considerable cost in lives, property and objectives when safety is ignored. Both the control and the emphasis on safety are valued in the civilian work force.

 

Flexibility and Adaptability

 

Service members have learned to be flexible and can adapt to meet the constantly changing needs of any situation and mission.

 

Education

 

Most service members have at least a General Education Development (GED) and the majority of them have high school diplomas. Nearly 30 percent have a college degree; and many have attended college to further their education.

 

VOW to Hire Heroes Act 2011

 

 

 
Demographics of Homeless Veterans
  • 13% of the homeless adult population are veterans
  • 20% of the male homeless population are veterans
  • 68% reside in principal cities
  • 32% reside in suburban/rural areas
  • 51% of individual homeless veterans have disabilities
  • 50% have serious mental illness
  • 70% have substance abuse problems
  • 51% are white males, compared to 38% of non-veterans
  • 50% are age 51 or older, compared to 19% non-veterans


Program Donations: 
  • RDO Equipment - John Deere Gator 
  • Meade County - Ford Explorer 
  • Meade County - Flatbed Trailer
  • Meade County - Ford F150
  • Meade County  covered the 2013 Workers' Compensation expenses: $16,000
  • Ernest & Kimberly Rupp - $100  
Meade County Firewise
Newsletter
June 2014
Meade County, SD 
Veteran Profile: Mark Schild
Firewise Veteran Mark Schild
 If you're reading this, then you probably know  that the Firewise program in Meade County employs veterans in a short-term position to assist them in breaking into the job market.  What you may not know is that the program works, and the real success is not measured in the number of trees that get knocked down or how many paychecks the program hands out.  The benefits run much deeper for both the vets in the program and the entire community.

 

  

     Allow me to introduce you to Mark Schild- a veteran in the program.  Mark served with Bravo Battery of the 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, South Dakota Army National Guard and was stationed in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008.  When he was first considering enlisting, he was originally hoping to join Charlie Battery, the battery in which his uncle- Sgt. 1st Class Richard Schild of Tabor, SD- was currently serving, but they were deployed before he was able to join, since Mark was still in school.  Unfortunately, Charlie Battery had a rougher go of things overseas, and his uncle was KIA (more on this below).  Mark and Bravo would go on to receive his training in Camp Shelby, Mississippi for 2 months before being deployed in Iraq for the next 10 months.  For nearly 2 months thereafter, his battery ran base security for Camp Cedar II before being reassigned to running convoy operations out of Tallil Air Base for the remainder of his tour (approximately 8 months).

  

   

Sgt. 1st Class Richard Schild
 It was on the same type of convoy operations that his uncle Richard was killed a few short years ago.  An IED had detonated near Richard's Humvee and killed him along with Staff Sergeant Daniel M. Cuka.  Richard's nephew Mark decided to enlist despite knowing the danger that he would inevitably face, and went on to perform the same operations (albeit years later) that had claimed the life of his uncle.  Mark was forced to accept the very real possibility that he may not come back from his tour at all. 

 

     While overseas, Mark made bonds with his fellow soldiers.  These were men and women he could (and had to) trust with his life nearly every day, and the brotherhood always had his back.  They were people on which he knew he could depend.  Each one of them came from different walks of life and had unique and diverse personalities, but they ended up in the same boat together, sharing in their experiences and driven by a singular and united goal.  When the tour was over and Mark returned stateside, his comrades in arms began to disperse.  Everyone eventually scattered back to their homes to try to pick up where they left off.

  

     The next part of the story should sound familiar: Mark, like many veterans before him, had come back to a world that felt different than when he had left.  Initially, there was a celebration at his return, but as the joy and emotional high wore off, all that was left were tenuous relationships that never felt quite right.  In Iraq, he had accepted the possibility that he might never return home at all, and now that he had, he had to come to grips with a reality for which he was not adequately prepared.  His friends and family believed he had changed, and he felt that the whole world was different.  What this amounted to was a situation that made it increasingly difficult to assimilate into a "normal" civilian life.

  

     Like many vets, there's a guilt that hangs over those who come home.  Interactions with people were subdued: he could not share many of his experiences with people back home because without a frame of reference they were unable to understand.  Additionally, habits and behaviors he had picked up overseas while on convoy missions were not easily broken.  Driving down the highway became an exercise in constantly checking along the ditches to ensure there were no explosives or threats lurking just out of sight.

  

     Mark's attempts to find help were a mixed bag.  There is a tendency in today's culture to deal with all of our issues, be they mental or physical, with medication.  The side effects of the medication sometimes cause more issues than they solve.  The added stress of counseling sessions can also end up feeling overwhelming.  All too often a vet will end up slipping through the cracks of the bureaucratic system designed to support them.  Mark was in danger of becoming one of those vets.

  

     Finding a job also proved challenging.  With no relevant work experience (Mark enlisted basically right out of school) and very little training, his employment options were limited.  He bounced around between several jobs over the next few years trying to find the one job that felt like a good fit.  When nothing seemed to work, he tried his hand at going back to school, but never quite found the right school of study.

 

Current Firewise Veterans Mark Schild
 and Jake Ford

     It was fellow Firewise veteran and friend Jake Ford who directed him to the Firewise program.  Together they joined the program (Jake in late February and Mark in early March) and immediately saw the benefits.  In the program, Mark gets to work with other vets who share similar experiences, everyone once again in the same boat trying to find their way back to a "normal" life.  It Firewise program functions as a support group, while also allowing the vets to do something positive and constructive for the community.  There is no anxiety from having to deal with lots of people, and nothing helps vent some pent-up frustration like taking your anger out on an unsuspecting tree with a chainsaw.  It will still be a slow process adjusting back to civilian life, and there are experiences that are going to stick with him for the rest of his life, but Mark feels like he's in a better place now, thanks in some small part to the Firewise Guys.

About Firewise
Goals & Objectives 
  • Offer veterans short-term employment (4-6 months) which leads to full-time career opportunities.
  • Train veterans in various skill-sets based on career path.
  • Seek community support and involvement for Firewise program.
  • Solicit private donations to support program efforts. 
  • Graduate veterans to full-time employment and repeat the effort with unemployed veterans. 
Continued Training Initiatives 
  • South Dakota Public Assurance Allience and SDML Workers Compensation Fund
    • 4-Hour Defensive Driving Course - The main objective of this course is to save lives by instructing participants in how to avoid costly collisions and injuries.
    • Harassment Prevention - Training all employees to understand, prevent and deal with workplace discrimination and harassment is nothing less than essential.  Instead of allowing inapropriate conduct to lower employee morale and productivity, organizations should foster a positive and respectful work enviroment that will help all employees thrive.  This course is designed to help your entity accomplish just that.
  • A Gentle Introduction to GIS
Completed Training Initiatives 
  • MSHA Training
    • Mandatory Safety & Health Standards
    • Transportation Controls & Communication Systems
    • Firefighting
    • Ground Conditions & Control
    • Traffic Patterns & Control
    • Working in Areas of High Walls
    • Water Hazards, Pit & Spoil Piles
    • First Aid
    • Electrical Hazards
    • Accident Prevention
    • Health
    • Mobile Equipment Hazards
    • Maintenance & Repair; Material Handling; Working Around Moving Objects
    • Hazard Communications
    • Machine Guarding
    • Review of Mine Safety Act
  • Emergency Management - FEMA 
    • IS-00100.b Introduction to Incident Command System ICS-100 
    • IS-00200.b ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incident, ICS-200 
    • IS-00700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction
    • IS-00120.a An Introduction to Exercises
    • IS-00800.b National Response Framework,  An Introduction
    • IS-00701.a NIMS Multiagency Coordination Systems (MACS)
    • IS-00130 Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning
    • IS-00634 Introduction to FEMA's Public Assistance Program
    • IS-00240.a Leadership and Influence 
    • IS - 00130 Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning 
    • IS - 00242.a Effective Communication
  • GIS Training Class
    • GIS, Geographic Information Systems, is a technology in which data in the form of points, lines, and polygons are connected to databases providing information about a geographical area. GIS is a digital map containing several layers of data, each layer containing specific information within the digital map.
    • Training on mapping projects and using GPS coordinates.
  • CPR
    • CPR class instructed by Meade County Jail Medical Staff
    • CPR Certification obtained 
  • S-212 Wildland Fire Chains Saws Class
    • Classroom and practical
    • Certified
  • RT 130 Annual Fireline Safety Refresher Training
  • Black Hills Interagency Guard School
    • S-130, S-190, S-134, S-133, L-180, and I-100
  • ATV and UTV Safety Training
  • Mountain Pine Beetle survey and marking
    • Infested tree identification and common misleading signs 
  • Resume Writing and Job Interview Skills 
 
Successfully passed and received eligible certifications in all training classes
Veteran 
 Recently Completed Firewise Projects
Vet Projects #22-30
The two neighboring sites pictured below were very similar and required very precise felling to avoid structures. 
The property pictured below involved a straightforward thinning of portions of the property and removing several trees that threatened the home and garage.
This property had severe storm damage as well as years of down timber blanketing the majority of the site.  Half of the time spent on site was devoted to clearing ground fuels.
This property was nearly all storm recovery, plus several very large trees near the home that the homeowners were afraid would come down in a heavy storm.
This was the second visit to this property continuing efforts to thin all the trees around the home and garage.
This site had many damaged trees from storm that the homeowner had cleared brush but had 18 trees still standing to be removed.
This property only had 3 trees to be removed that all posed threats to structures.
This property was nearly 100% storm recovery but all found on a steep hillside. Most logs drug down and stacked for customer consumption.
This property had a large patch of densely populated trees on it southern half as well as a large patch of regeneration to the west of home.
13 Projects for FireWise Program are booked and Scheduled 

ALERT: Future funding of this program is in jeopardy.  Decisions are being made to reallocate federal dollars used in support of this 'Veteran Hire Initiative' to other programs - such as sage grouse habitat.  
 
"I say a VETERAN trumps a bird." Jerry W. Derr 

 

 

Office: 605.720.1625 / email: [email protected] 
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1300 Sherman Street STE 212 / Sturgis, SD 57785 - 605.720.1625
[email protected]