Hard work, professionalism and dedication are a few of the qualities that the Mt. Hebron Wildland Fire Module (WFM) takes pride in possessing. Stationed on the Goosenest Ranger District, the Mt. Hebron WFM started out as Crew 71 and has become a Wildland Fire Module. The primary mission of a WFM is to provide an innovative, safe, highly mobile, logistically independent, and versatile fire module w
ith a primary commitment to maintain fire’s role as a natural ecological process for wildland fire management and incident operations. Prior to becoming certified, Crew 71 struggled with filling supervisory positions. In the fall of 2008 Captain Mike Seaton and Assistant Captain Erik Blankenship accepted leadership positions and began the process of rebuilding a valuable district and agency resource. After three very successful years of crew performance, Mike and Erik began re-evaluating their vision of the crew’s future and in the winter of 2011 a decision was made to pursue certification as a Wildland Fire Module. Because of Mike, Erik and many others’ dedication to achieve status as a WFM, Crew 71 was certified in the early summer of 2012. In the spring of 2013, all Wildland Fire Modules were reclassified as either Type 1 or Type 2. Hebron WFM fell short of a few qualifications for Type 1 status and started the 2013 season with a certification as a Type 2 WFM. Through numerous fire assignments and training opportunities, Mt. Hebron was certified as a Type 1 WFM in early summer 2015. Nationally there are only 13 Type 1 Forest Service Wildland Fire Modules. Hebron WFM continues to grow by gaining experience and knowledge both on and off the fire line. Hebron WFM remains dedicated to expanding wildland fire management knowledge along with remaining focused at providing the Klamath National Forest and all Wildland Fire Agencies with a highly professional invaluable resource. Hebron WFM enjoys training throughout the Goosenest Ranger District. The crew’s favorite spots are located at the southern end of the district from Whaleback to Typhoon Mesa.
