Thursday, October 15, 2009 — To prepare for all fire season, state and local firefighters will participate this week in the N.C. Division of Forest Resources’ annual fire school in Stanly County.
About 75 employees from the state Division of Forest Resources will be involved in the classroom training at the Albemarle Fire Station, Alcoa Training Center and Morrow Mountain State Park.
The course has included several field exercises. During one exercise, firefighters were to conduct a prescribed fire at Morrow Mountain State Park if weather permited.
The area’s varied terrain enabled firefighters to practice battling blazes on steep slopes using hand tools such as fire rakes and other crews to contain the fire using tractor plows.
Firefighters also will train using helicopters, scout planes and small air tankers. There will be a number of aircraft and emergency vehicles operating in the area during the exercise.
The Division of Forest Resources wants residents to be aware that the increased activity is for training purposes only. The area around the training sites will be closed to the public during the exercise.
Air operations personnel will train at the Stanly County Airport. They will track and manage the NCDFR helicopters and single engine air tankers. About 30 NCDRF personnel will be involved in this operation.
Training exercises help agencies prepare as a team and respond quickly and safely during a wildfire. The state agency holds three fire schools a year.
This fire school ends Friday at the Badin Volunteer Fire Department where students and coaches will critique and discuss their experiences from the field exercise.
For additional information on this fire school, contact Kevin Harvell, a district forester with the state Division of Forest Resources, at (336) 956-2111, or Brian Haines, public information officer for the state Division of Forest Resources, at (919) 857-4828 or (919) 218-9728.
