Thursday, March 12, 2009

Corpsmember Spotlight

Monique Sanchez has been with the CCC for five months and in that time has gained a new perspective on life. Monique is from Stockton and prior to joining the CCC was, “running with gangs and on the streets.” A glimpse of a better life came from a corpsmember from Monique’s neighborhood who had been able to leave the streets. Monique remembers seeing her friend after a lapse of several months and recalls being impressed at how much she had changed, now owning a car and living on her own. Inspired, Monique left the streets and joined the CCC.

As a corpsmember on Delta Crew 3, Monique’s life has undergone an incredible change from her days on the streets. She is working on her high school diploma and getting her class B license and finds the most rewarding aspect of being in the CCC is “being able to help the community I live in.”

Monique has this message for young people living the life she left: “The streets won’t be there too long. The CCC helps you straighten out and change your life. Here people are willing to help you as long as you put your part in. It’s not too late."

What had once seemed like an impossible dream, owning a car and living on her own, are now realities for Monique. She plans to get an extension so she may stay in the CCC and finish her high school diploma this year. Congrats, Monique, and keep up the good work! Read more!

0 Click Here to Comment

Green, the New Black

As the stimulus money starts to trickle into California, green has become the new black. Anybody who is anybody is organizing around green collar jobs and the new green economy. Groups like SERJ (Stimulus Economic Recovery & Jobs Task Force) and Green Jobs Council are rapidly gearing up to bring green jobs and innovation to California. As early as 1978, the CCC was involved in energy conservation work such as windmills, solar water heating and greenhouse and other small building construction.


By 1979, the CCC operated two energy centers: A Solar program (Solar) at Greenwood in El Dorado County and the Energy Conservation program (Econ) at the Training Academy in Calaveras County. The centers specialized in solar hot water installations, energy audits and retrofits, weatherization, HVAC and construction focusing on energy-efficient building. The CCC was green before it was fashionable and is ideally placed to return to its green roots. As people begin to redefine what green means the CCC is poised to train and prepare the new workforce of green collar workers. Read more!

0 Click Here to Comment

Tool Talk

Pulaski - - A fire and grade tool combing an axe on one side and a grub hoe on the other.

Credited with inventing the tool, Edward Pulaski was a hero from the 1910 Wallace, Idaho fires. During a very dry, windy August, Ranger Pulaski, a member of the US Forest Service since 1908, took a crew of 45 men to combat the fire. Facing a wall of fire with no means to escape Ranger Pulaski led his crew into an abandoned mine tunnel to wait out the fire. Six of the men died but Ranger Pulaski’s actions saved the remaining 39. The fire site is part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Seeing an opportunity to improve fire fighting, Pulaski devised a new tool which is to this day used by Corpsmembers in the CCC and firefighters throughout the United States.

Read more!

0 Click Here to Comment
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Overview of the CCC

Employment of Corpsmembers
The CCC hires young men and women between 18 and 25 for a year of natural resource work and emergency response. Corpsmembers earn minimum wage and work throughout the state in urban, suburban and rural areas.

CCC -- Emergency Response Work
For more than 30 years, the CCC has responded to floods, fires, mudslides, earthquakes, oil spills and agricultural pest infestations throughout California. Since 1976, more than nine million hours of emergency response work has been provided.

In 2008, the CCC devoted 141 days straight to fire response, from June to October, calling out the most fire crews in the department’s history.

The CCC can dispatch trained crews of 10-15 corpsmembers within hours, anywhere in the state. Transportation, supervision, tools and safety gear are supplied. Corpsmembers are trained in incident command systems, fire camp support, first aid, CPR, and tool use. They are covered by worker’s compensation and undergo a Department of Justice fingerprint background check.

CCC Partnerships with Other Agencies
Throughout the year, the CCC provides natural resource work for many state, federal and local agencies through work contracts.

The CCC’s largest state work sponsor is Caltrans. Caltrans pays the CCC personnel $18/hour; the agency calculates it would cost $32-36/hour for other labor sources if the CCC were not available.

As a cost-cutting measure, it has been proposed that CAL FIRE could save money by hiring Emergency Workers at $8-10/hour for its fire camp personnel, rather than use CCC corpsmembers. But, while the CCC can be dispatched immediately to fires, CAL FIRE would need to recruit and hire Emergency Workers after the incident is underway. In addition, their wages do not fund hiring, training, workers’ compensation, supervision, tools and safety equipment or transportation.

Apart from the conservation benefits of CCC projects undertaken for government agencies, there are lasting values in the job skills the corpsmembers receive. These skills enable them to successfully join the California workforce after their year in the CCC.

Meeting the CCC Mission
The Public Resources Code describes the California Conservation Corps’ mission as “instilling basic skills and a healthy work ethic in California youth, building their character, self-esteem, and self-discipline, and establishing within them a strong sense of civic responsibility and understanding of a value of day’s work for a day’s wages.” The CCC is also charged with enhancing the educational opportunities and employability of corpsmembers.

With major budget reductions in recent years making it more difficult to meet its mission, the CCC has not waivered from this focus, while realizing increased efforts are needed. High school courses have been provided by two charter high schools (John Muir and Eagles Peak), and since FY 2003-04, the GED/High School graduation rate has increased. IN FY 2007-08, 25 percent more corpsmembers completed their GEDs/HS diplomas than in the previous fiscal year. The CCC has continued to pursue an after-paid-hours education and training program for its corpsmembers. This has included academic courses, career development training, environmental education, community volunteer hours, leadership training and life-skills development.

Teddy's Quote of the day