REDDING, Calif. -- Volunteers are welcome to help Redding area firefighters begin construction of a physical fitness park that will be dedicated to the memory of a northern California smokejumper who died in the line of duty.
Volunteers will gather for the work day Saturday, March 5, at 9 a.m., in the parking area of the Bureau of Land Management's Swasey Recreation Area on Swasey Drive in West Redding. Workers will clear brush and begin creating the path for the exercise stations. The BLM will provide tools and personal protective equipment. Volunteers should bring water and snacks and dress for outdoor work. Boots, long pants and long-sleeved shirts are recommended. Lunch will be provided.
The Sheehy Memorial Fitness Park, opening to the public this summer, will be dedicated to the memory of Luke Sheehy, a Redding-based U. S. Forest Service smokejumper who died fighting a fire in northeast California's Warner Mountains in the summer of 2013. Sheehy had also served as a BLM hotshot firefighter.
"The course will be designed to help our firefighters and anyone else interested to achieve our required physical fitness standards," said Tim Bradley, fire management officer for the BLM in Redding. "There will be a dozen exercise stations - pull-ups, sit-ups and bar-dips - arranged along a course meandering through the forest."
Participants in the work day will include members of Americorps National Civilian Community and members of local firefighting organizations.
More information is available from Bradley, (530) 224-2124.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
