Arkansas Forestry Division holds wildfire academy at ATU
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Forestry Division held a wildfire academy at Arkansas Tech in Russellville this week.
The two-week academy started last Monday and wraps up Friday.
US wildfires are getting bigger and more complex, prompting changes in firefighting workforce
Fire operations, task force leadership, fire investigation and fire weather classes are taught to hundreds of firefighters from across the nation during the academy.
“Training is our backbone of what we do, and if we don’t train our firefighters, we’re not giving them the tools to be successful while attacking fires and protecting the states they represent,” AFD Fire Management Officer Wes McKinney said.
McKinney added the academy builds the foundation of leadership and connection between other agencies.
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This is the 26th year for the academy and firefighters from 26 states participated this time.
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