The Type II Fire Crew from Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center just returned from a fire assignment at Alligator River, near Manteo, North Carolina.  Mike Coren and two Squad Bosses (Richard Spriggs and David Finnin) led eleven Schenck students on this assignment, an assignment managed by a joint command between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service.

The fire crew’s task on this assignment was to remove the aluminum piping system left over from the Paines Bay Fire last year.  In deep mud, the crew removed twenty-foot sections of pipe.  First, they broke down the piping system and then hauled it out of the muddy terrain.  At times, the piping would get stuck in the mud, and it had to be dug out by the crew and loaded up on flex-tracks to be carried out of the area.  The crew worked tirelessly, often working thirteen-hour days until the assignment was complete.  By the end of the week, the crew hauled out over three miles of pipe. 

After the assignment was complete, the command rated the crew, and the crew members received excellent ratings in all areas.  The supervisor of this assignment reported that these students were well organized and had excellent work attitudes.  Mike Coren, the crew boss, was very impressed with the crew on this assignment.  He stated:  “I was extremely proud of this crew.  They are proof that production will never exceed morale, and their morale was exceptional.”