Inferno Fire Camp Trains Future Fire Fighters at Lake James State Park

Lake James State Park welcomed 32 McDowell students from Inferno Camp to learn about firefighting skills through demonstrations, exploration, and hands-on activities (July 31st, 2024).

Western North Carolina’s young people will soon enter a professional world with an abundance of roles and industries that haven’t existed before. The diversity of jobs is proliferating. And plenty will have the chance to blaze new trails as nascent technologies develop. 

While many in Gen Z and Gen Alpha will venture down those paths, some are more interested in traditional and essential careers that require first responder and firefighter skills.

In partnership with the Marion Fire Department, McDowell County’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides rising 6th-9th grade students an opportunity to learn about becoming firefighters. Through this annual multi-day event, Inferno Fire Camp, young people learn firefighting skills through demonstrations, exploration, and hands-on activities.

This included a rather eventful day at Lake James State Park last week, led by Charles Autrey, a firefighter instructor at McDowell High School, which featured bulldozers, fire engines, and helicopters. 

Lake James State Park staff greeted the 32 students at the Visitor Center. Here they learned about the history of Lake James, the Fonta Flora community, and current uses on and around the 6,812-acre lake. 

Superintendent Nora Coffey pointed out interesting aspects of the exhibits which feature local trade history, ecological tidbits, and information about the construction of the earthen dam that was built between 1916 and 1923. The Lake James Dam is one of four constructed by Duke Power to provide energy to the upper Catawba River Basin. 

Experts demonstrated how firefighters use this motorized equipment to contain wildfires, manage controlled burns that encourage biodiversity, and implement other preventative wildfire methods. Several local fire departments and North Carolina Park and North Carolina Forest Service staff assisted with the day’s programming.

Many teens participated in the program last year, and we expect to see some familiar faces next year.

Given the uncertain challenges surrounding worsening climate change and other ecological catastrophes across Appalachia, we will depend on these upcoming firefighters to protect our forests and preserve the health of our natural landscapes. 

Fortunately, McDowell and Burke Counties are thoroughly invested in training young people for the vital roles they’ll perform in our communities in the decades to come.

*Photos provided by Friends of Lake James State Park board member and volunteer office staff member Annette Bryant.