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| Above: Firefighters train at last year’s Interagency Wildland Fire School, which is again being held in Sweet Home the last week in June. |
SWEET HOME, Ore.
– Oregon Department of Forestry personnel will be among over 200 wildland firefighters and instructors convening in Sweet Home at
the end of June to take part in the annual five day Mid-Willamette Valley
Interagency Wildland Fire School. Officials from the U.S. Forest Service,
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), U.S Fish and Wildlife Service,
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are
hosting the training to prepare new firefighters for fighting fire, both in
Oregon’s forests and in rural-urban interface areas.
– Oregon Department of Forestry personnel will be among over 200 wildland firefighters and instructors convening in Sweet Home at
the end of June to take part in the annual five day Mid-Willamette Valley
Interagency Wildland Fire School. Officials from the U.S. Forest Service,
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), U.S Fish and Wildlife Service,
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are
hosting the training to prepare new firefighters for fighting fire, both in
Oregon’s forests and in rural-urban interface areas.
Co-Incident
Commanders Shawn Sheldon, Deputy Fire Staff for the BLM and Willamette
National Forest; and Craig Pettinger, Unit Forester for ODF in Sweet Home, see
fire school as an opportunity to train firefighters in both tactical skills and
safety.
Commanders Shawn Sheldon, Deputy Fire Staff for the BLM and Willamette
National Forest; and Craig Pettinger, Unit Forester for ODF in Sweet Home, see
fire school as an opportunity to train firefighters in both tactical skills and
safety.
“This is the 22nd
year our agencies have collaborated for this,” said Sheldon. “Fire School provides crucial education and training in wildland
fire to new firefighters and gives career firefighters a chance to refresh
their skills and explore leadership opportunities.”
year our agencies have collaborated for this,” said Sheldon. “Fire School provides crucial education and training in wildland
fire to new firefighters and gives career firefighters a chance to refresh
their skills and explore leadership opportunities.”
Trainees will
spend the first part of the week in a classroom. Classes include basic fire
behavior, weather, map and compass use, teamwork, safety, use of engines, tools
and hose lays, fighting fire in the rural-urban interface and fire
investigation. Students will sleep in tents at Sweet Home High School and eat
meals together, giving them a taste of life in a real fire camp.
spend the first part of the week in a classroom. Classes include basic fire
behavior, weather, map and compass use, teamwork, safety, use of engines, tools
and hose lays, fighting fire in the rural-urban interface and fire
investigation. Students will sleep in tents at Sweet Home High School and eat
meals together, giving them a taste of life in a real fire camp.
The course is capped
with a live fire exercise on Friday, June 29 just outside of Sweet Home. This
will give trainees a final challenge: applying their newly acquired skills to
suppress and mop-up a real fire.
with a live fire exercise on Friday, June 29 just outside of Sweet Home. This
will give trainees a final challenge: applying their newly acquired skills to
suppress and mop-up a real fire.
“Cascade Timber Consulting, Inc., a local landowner, provides
a new field site each year and we are very grateful,” added Sheldon. “The live
fire exercise significantly enhances the students’ training experience –
working in smoke, hiking through uneven terrain, and working closely with crew
members to dig fireline, are all things they’ll experience this season as
wildland firefighters.”
a new field site each year and we are very grateful,” added Sheldon. “The live
fire exercise significantly enhances the students’ training experience –
working in smoke, hiking through uneven terrain, and working closely with crew
members to dig fireline, are all things they’ll experience this season as
wildland firefighters.”
Safety principles of fire training include wearing protective
gear, safe use of tools and being on the lookout for hazards. “Safety is
paramount in every aspect of wildland firefighting, and it begins with our
training exercises,” explained Pettinger. “Working together
in a training setting improves communications and builds effective
relationships for the agencies to draw on during fire season.”
gear, safe use of tools and being on the lookout for hazards. “Safety is
paramount in every aspect of wildland firefighting, and it begins with our
training exercises,” explained Pettinger. “Working together
in a training setting improves communications and builds effective
relationships for the agencies to draw on during fire season.”
This year, the field site that will be used for the
live fire exercise is located approximately 5 miles east of Sweet Home adjacent
to Highway 20. Fire officials are urging the public to use caution as there
will be increased fire traffic in the area and the potential for visible smoke
on Friday, June 29. For more information, please
contact Public Information Officers Chiara Cipriano, (541) 731-4427, or Jim Gersbach, (503) 945-7425.
live fire exercise is located approximately 5 miles east of Sweet Home adjacent
to Highway 20. Fire officials are urging the public to use caution as there
will be increased fire traffic in the area and the potential for visible smoke
on Friday, June 29. For more information, please
contact Public Information Officers Chiara Cipriano, (541) 731-4427, or Jim Gersbach, (503) 945-7425.
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