GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX)–Pomona Elementary 5th grade students were out at the No-Thoroughfare trailhead as part of their “PBL” — or problem-based learning unit, where the students start with a real world, authentic problem, and then they research the problem and come up with a solution for that problem.

This time, students got a lesson on fire and its impact on people, wildlife and the ecosystem. They also learned how to protect homes and property if a wildfire strikes. Fire can affect people in different situations differently. For instance, more affluent areas have better resources to help recover from wildfires, whereas less affluent areas may not.

“Whether a fire happens in your neighborhood or not–it can affect our environment, our water quality, our air. These students are hard at work looking at solutions for that,” says Ellis Thompson Ellis, Community Outreach Specialist with the Grand Junction Fire Department.

These are our future leaders, and the school district and fire department are helping kids build a solid foundation to lead us toward a brighter future.