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Two student firefighters from the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Community and Technical ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø earned medals at a national competition in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tyler Christensen took home the silver medal in the college/post-secondary division at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Daniel Hayes earned the bronze medal in the high school division. Their victories mark the first national-level medals earned by SkillsUSA Alaska students since 2019.

The national competition, held in June, featured 44 firefighting competitors — six in the college division and 38 in high school. Each state was limited to one competitor per division. Christensen and Hayes qualified for the national stage after winning top honors in March at the SkillsUSA Alaska firefighting competition in Anchorage.

SkillsUSA’s national conference is the nation's premier recognition of excellence in career and technical education, bringing together more than 19,000 students, instructors and industry leaders. The event culminates in the SkillsUSA championships, where more than 6,500 state champions compete across 114 skill and leadership categories.

Participation in these competitions directly supports UAF CTC's mission to prepare workforce-ready graduates, said  Jamie Bero, a UAF assistant professor of fire science. It also advances SkillsUSA's goal of addressing critical shortages of trained employees.

Both competitors trained under Bero’s instruction in CTC’s Firefighter I course. Bero, who earned a master’s degree in security and disaster management from UAF, previously won the national gold medal in the college/postsecondary division of SkillsUSA firefighting. She also chaired the firefighting competition for SkillsUSA Alaska.

"This was a great accomplishment for UAF fire science as well as the state of Alaska to have medalists in both divisions of firefighting at the national level," Bero said. "It speaks volumes about the quality of our program. We are contributing to the future of firefighting."

Christensen, a junior majoring in homeland security and emergency management, will serve as a scholarship firefighter with the Steese Volunteer Fire Department this fall. Hayes, a North Pole High School graduate, enters UAF as a freshman double-majoring in fire science and emergency management while serving with the University Fire Department.

During the competition, students were tested on firefighting knowledge, completed in-person interviews, tied fire-related knots and navigated rigorous skills circuits. Evaluated on both speed and technique, tasks included donning bunker gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus, navigating confined spaces and hose mazes, executing victim drags, forcing entry and throwing ladders.

Participation in the event was made possible with support from sponsors, including CTC, SkillsUSA Alaska, Steese Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Tanana Valley Firefighters Association and the Farthest North Fraternal Order of Leatherheads.

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