383 Firefighters Will Train to Fight Wildland Fires

More than 380 men and women from every corner of Virginia and from 10 other states are gathering at Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Va., May 7 - 12 to learn how to fight an increasing number of wildland fires.

Of the 14 nationally certified courses offered, several will focus on the initial skills and tactics needed to effectively fight wildland fires either by hand, with chainsaws or with fireplows (modified bulldozers).

(Note: The tractor/fireplow class will include an actual wildland fire – approximately 30 acres in size – that the students must extinguish using only these modified bulldozers. Weather permitting, this fire suppression effort will take place beginning at dusk Tuesday, May 8. This night-time fire will make for some excellent visual opportunities.)

Many of the 335 men and 48 women who will train at the academy are members of volunteer fire departments scattered throughout Virginia. Others are employees of the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF), Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, The Virginia National Guard, The Nature Conservancy, the US Air Force, the US Army, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the US Forest Service.

"The wildland fire academy is an excellent tool to train people in the latest tactics and incident management techniques to assure that the Commonwealth is fully prepared for any wildfire emergency," said John Miller, director of resource protection at VDOF. "The academy at Fort Pickett also offers some of the most advanced, all-risk emergency incident management training available in the Commonwealth, and this helps to fill a critical need for the increasing threats to national security."

This is the seventh annual edition of Virginia Department of Forestry’s Wildland Fire Academy.

(Note: Because of safety and security concerns, if you are interested in covering any aspect of the Wildland Fire Academy, please call John Campbell at 434.220.9070 or 434.989.0665.)

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 184,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $29 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.