Former Reedley College student explains how wildland fire program prepared him to become a hotshot

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The fires in Southern California have drawn firefighters from near and far.

Crews have been working around the clock to save people and property.

That includes Kings River Hotshot Diego Moreno, who recently returned from his assignment on the Eaton Fire in Southern California.

"It was definitely like a one-of-a-kind experience, at least for me. Like I've never seen fire behavior that aggressive," Moreno said.

He's going on his third year on the crew.

Born and raised in Sanger, He got his start at Reedley College after talking to a friend who was already a hotshot in Kern Valley.

"And I asked him, 'Hey what do you guys do?' Once he explained what hotshots do, I was hooked since then, that's what I wanted to do and this program helped me get there," Moreno said.

He enrolled in the wildland firefighting course and graduated in 2023.

Adam Hernandez was one of his instructors.

Hernandez said the program is not a typical college class.

It's very hands-on and trains students in what they'll be doing in the field.

"We really stick our flag, and the fact that we want them to be as prepared as they possibly can be, we know how to do that," Hernandez said.

Hernandez says the program has about an 80 to 90 percent job placement rate.

Friday, the U.S. Forest Service had multiple booths set up recruiting future firefighters.

"From Reedley, it's definitely one of the wildland fire programs that we have hired most from," U.S. Forest Service Fire Management Planning Specialist Brian Grabowski said.

Current and past students stopped by booths looking for a place to start their future careers, a career Moreno said he's glad he chose.

"I don't look back, because I have a blast," Moreno said. "You know, not a lot of people want to do it, but it's, it's fun. I don't regret."

The hiring event continues Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Reedley College.

Reedley College is also hosting a statewide Forestry Pathways conference for students and industry partners April 24-25 at their new McClarty Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

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