Los Alamos High senior plans fire science career at CNM

Justin Crane is leaving Los Alamos High School with a clear next step: Central New Mexico College, where he plans to study fire science and work toward a career as a firefighter. The 2026 graduate, who was raised in Jemez Springs, finished with a GPA above 3.0 and already has years of hands-on experience in emergency service through the La Cueva Volunteer Fire Department.

Crane has been a junior firefighter with the department in Sandoval County since he was 14, giving his career plan a practical foundation long before graduation. His move to CNM connects a local student to a training route that can lead directly into the public-safety workforce, a field that depends on steady recruitment and early preparation.

CNM says its fire science program lets students earn a degree or certificate while learning fire safety and prevention techniques. Its fire academy pathway can lead to certifications in IFSAC Firefighter I and II, hazardous materials awareness and operations, NWCG Basic Wildland Firefighting and EMT-Basic. For a student already working around volunteer fire service, that mix of classroom instruction and certification offers a direct route into the profession Crane says he wants to join.

His story also lands in a county where fire and emergency response are central public institutions. The Los Alamos Fire Department says it is one of the largest career fire departments in New Mexico, serves the state’s smallest county at 109 square miles and operates with a career staff of 150 from five stations. Its responsibilities include fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, aviation rescue, fire prevention, fire investigation, code enforcement, public education and domestic preparedness planning and response.

The department’s roots go back to April 1943, when it was organized under the Manhattan Project with seven civilian firefighters and 25 volunteers. That history underscores how fire service in Los Alamos has long been tied to the community’s growth and security, making the next generation of firefighters part of an institutional line that stretches back more than eight decades.

Crane’s experience also reflects a broader pipeline model used in emergency services. The National Volunteer Fire Council says junior firefighter programs are designed to engage young people and help build future emergency-service membership. Sandoval County Fire and Rescue says its eight fire districts cover more than 3,700 square miles and serve a population of more than 40,000, adding geographic scale to the experience Crane gained in a volunteer department before stepping into formal fire science training.