Scouts play with fire

 Nine-year-old Cody Detlefsen of Maxwell knows the difference between a controlled fire and a fire burning out of control.

It is what he and more than a dozen youngsters from Colusa and Glenn counties learned at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Saturday during the Junior Refuge Firefighter Program. 

“My dad is a farmer and volunteer firefighter,” Detlefsen said. “I know there are good fires and bad fires.”

Leaning how fire helps to create healthy habitat and food for wildlife is the goal of the program, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fire Capt. Mark Rakestraw of Artois. It also reduces dangerous fuels and controls the spread of disease.

“We want to get the message out – not just to kids, but adults – that what we do at the refuge is different from fire suppression,” Rakestraw said. “B burning helps vegetation and promotes a healthy environment for wildlife.”

Rakestraw said about 2,000 acres were burned this year at the refuge.

Saturday’s junior firefighters, most of whom were from several Boy Scout dens of Colusa’s Pack 12, along with a few Girl Scouts from Troop 3837, learned the tools of the trade, explored U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fire engine and took turns on a fire hose.

The kids also explored the visitor’s center at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, south of Willows, an the surrounding wildlife habitat.

“This is the second time I’ve done this program,” said Ella Kessler, 7, of Colusa. “I like squirting the fire hose the best. It’s fun and you get to learn about fire and wildlife at the same time.”

Following the program, Rakestraw administered an other to the junior firefighters and awarded each a certificate of completion and badge. A visit from Smokey Bear concluded the event.