The San Juan Islands welcomed a different type of summer visitor this past weekend: military veterans training to fight wildfires.

Approximately 40 veterans participated in a three-day training on Lopez Island this weekend to receive wildland firefighter certification. The training was offered through a new partnership between the Bureau of Land Management and Team Rubicon, an international nonprofit disaster response group which combines the skills and experience of military veterans with first responders.

“Because of their military training and experience, veterans bring a remarkable skill set to the wildland firefighting community,” said Chuck Russell, BLM fire management officer and partnership coordinator. “It’s an honor for the BLM to provide our veterans these opportunities to continue serving and protecting our country.”

Hosted by the Lopez School District, Lopez Fire Department and BLM’s San Juan Islands National Monument, the training provided the required instruction and field experience for the Team Rubicon veterans to receive their Type II firefighter certification, making them eligible to be dispatched to national wildfire incidents and also qualified to apply for permanent firefighting jobs.