Inland Empire Center

Located in San Bernardino County, the Inland Empire Center is home to as many as 95 non-residential Corpsmembers. Crews and staff typically work a 10-hour day, Monday through Thursday, excluding spikes or emergencies. A “spike” is a project located at least two hours away from the base center and is typically in a remote area. Corpsmembers camp and work at these locations for eight straight days at a time.

The center serves the largest geographic area in the CCC, extending from Riverside and San Bernardino counties, east to the Arizona/Nevada borders, and north to Mono County and the Eastern Sierra.

The center’s facility is nestled adjacent to the Santa Ana River in a quiet commercial complex. The floor plan includes a classroom, computer lab, community room, and offices and space essential to the operation.

The 215 and 10 freeways are near the center, and the Ontario International Airport is 20 minutes away. The weather ranges from the low 40’s in the winter to triple digits in the summer. Spring and fall provide moderate temperatures.

1824 Commercenter Circle
San Bernardino, CA 92408
(909) 708-8470

Life at the Inland Empire Center

Corpsmember Yuritzi Renteria volunteers at the community dedication of the Healing Grove Memorial at Pikes Peak Park in the city of Norco.

Corpsmembers at the Inland Empire Center enjoy volunteering in their local communities when they are not spiking or responding to emergencies. Corpsmembers regularly volunteer with Habitat for Humanity; the Salvation Army soup kitchen; the Incredible Edible Community Garden; the United States Forest Service (USFS); the city of Riverside’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department; and other nonprofits and local municipalities.

Projects

Corpsmembers from the Inland 5 BLM fire crew prepare to lay hose during training in Riverside County.

The Inland Empire Center works in large part with the major public land agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, California State Parks, Bureau of Land Management, and the Dept. of Transportation. Other project sponsors include the Riverside Conservation District, Amigos De Los Rios, Department of Water Resources, and the Department of Conservation. Sponsors like these provide many of the projects that are the backbone of the CCC, such as trail construction in backcountry locations, habitat restoration, watershed restoration, and some unique work specific to the Inland Empire Center’s service area such as abandoned mine hazard mitigation.

Projects that involve building, upgrading, or relocating trails to meet accessibility standards and maintaining trail integrity benefit the public’s access to public land trails and backcountry areas, diminish the effects of erosion in the area, and protect local natural resources. Environmental mitigation projects are completed to counteract impacts to natural resource areas using a variety of techniques, such as replanting native plants, removing invasive plant species, and offsetting the growth of non-native plants.

Wildland Firefighting: The Inland Empire Center partners with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to operate a wildland firefighting hand crew. Corpsmembers receive training and hands-on experience working with BLM crew bosses responding to wildfires year-round locally and across the state. When Corpsmembers are not responding to wildland fires, they conduct fire fuel reduction projects for BLM, train, and maintain their physical fitness. Wildland hand crews help build fire line with hand tools and conduct mop-up work.

Education and Training

Chain saws are among many of the tools that Corpsmembers at the Inland Empire Center use regularly. Technical knowledge and skills are provided to Corpsmembers through training to ensure safety while operating chain saws.

All Corpsmembers at the Inland Empire Center complete Corpsmember Orientation, Motivation, Education, and Training (COMET) and core training courses.

Some of the specialized trainings and certifications offered include:

• Backcountry Trail Construction & Maintenance
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wildland Fire Training
• Caltrans’ Internship Program
• Chain Saw Training and Certification
• Chipper Safety & Training
• First Aid & CPR
• Flora and Fauna Identification
• Ladder Safety
• Leave No Trace
• Power Tools Safety and Operation
• Safety Stand Down
• ServSafe Food Handler Certification
• Trail Construction and Maintenance

The Inland Empire Center offers Corpsmembers the opportunity to earn their high school diploma through our on-site charter school.