New Mexico Hires Military Vets for Wildland Firefighting

April 02--New Mexico will expand its wildland firefighting efforts with four new crews staffed by military veterans through a pilot veterans firefighters program Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday.

The program is expected to hire 40 U.S. military veterans to work on seasonal wildfire hand crews managed by the state Forestry Division. The addition of 40 wildland firefighters will increase the state's wildfire team to 290 seasonal firefighters on duty for the 2013 fire season.

"There is nothing worse than having a veteran on the unemployment line," Martinez said Monday.

The state is "giving them jobs during our fire season, making sure they get paid for that, training them to be a part of what is helping us make sure fire season is not as drastic as it has been," Martinez said.

The veteran firefighters will be based in Albuquerque and paid $17.40 per hour, Forestry Division spokesman Dan Ware said.

The new firefighter units will diversify the state's firefighting resources by adding four hand crews, 10-member teams that work at the fire line to build a barrier between the active fire and nearby, unburned fuels that would allow the fire to grow.

"Our fire seasons aren't getting any easier. We need these additional resources," the Forestry Division spokesman said.

State wildland firefighters are paid through emergency appropriations ordered by the governor after wildfires spark.

Many experts predict another severe wildfire season in New Mexico as the state experiences a third year of record drought. Massive wildfires in New Mexico in 2011 and 2012 set state records for most property damage and most acres burned.

The governor said veterans are well-suited for the tough job.

"They are used to the hard work and the heat, where they come from (serving) in Afghanistan and Iraq. I think they are very skilled at learning quickly and under a lot of stress, and that is exactly what a fire season presents," Martinez said. Bill signings

Also on Monday, Martinez signed several bills passed by the Legislature, including a statewide "Silver Alert" program that alerts the public when an individual with Alzheimer's disease or dementia gets lost and may not be able to find his or her way home.

"A statewide Silver Alert program will protect seniors who might not be able to protect themselves," Martinez said. "New Mexico seniors suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia, and their families, deserve to know that law enforcement will be on the lookout should they go missing."

The program, sponsored by Rep. Paul Pacheco, R-Albuquerque, would send media alerts to help locate a person who is missing, similar to the use of Amber Alerts for abducted children.

An estimated 60 percent of individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia will "wander" away from home and may have trouble returning, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

The legislation expands statewide the Silver Alert program already established in Albuquerque.

Other bills signed into law Monday include:

A provision for registered voters to update personal information online, such as home addresses, sponsored by Rep. James Smith, R-Sandia Park.

A rule prohibiting marketing of chile grown outside New Mexico using names of New Mexico towns --such as Hatch -- or state counties, pueblos or geographic features, sponsored by Rep. Rodolpho Martinez, D-Bayard.

Increased pension payments for retired volunteer firefighters, rising from $200 to $250 per month for firefighter with 25 years' experience and from $100 to $125 per month for more than 10 years' experience, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Texico.

Increased caps for "small" New Mexico brewers and wine growers to still qualify for lowered state tax rates, sponsored by Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, and Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming.

Copyright 2013 - Albuquerque Journal, N.M.