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Wildfire academy prepares for 2009 fire season
Firefighting training offered March 14-20

Firefighters from across the state of Arizona are invited to attend the seventh annual Arizona Wildfire Academy in order to receive training in preparation for the 2009 fire season. The academy, which will offer over 40 training classes, will be held March 14-20 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott.

The deadline has been extended for registration in academy classes. While the majority of the classes are full there are several openings in some courses, especially those pertinent to the finance, logistics and plans portions of ICS. Student tuition at the academy is $60 per day, which includes all course materials, breakfast, lunch and tent camping on-site at Embry-Riddle. Hotel accommodations are available at additional cost.

"I believe that we offer some of the most cost effective, quality training anywhere," said Don Howard, the incident commander for the academy. "The courses we offer range from basic to advanced and are taught by people well respected in their fields. We are proud of the training we offer and hope that as many people as possible take advantage of it."

For those interested in the training but unable to secure funding, the academy is also offering scholarships to help offset costs. According to Howard, some rural fire departments might not be able to send students because they don't have the financial resources to cover tuition. They should consider applying for scholarships, Howard said.

Academy students include firefighters in federal, state, local and volunteer departments from all over the state. Besides working to provide the skills and technical expertise required to meet the challenge that wildland fire poses, academy organizers also hope to provide a forum where firefighters from diverse backgrounds can learn how we work together to manage a common threat.

"There is always a fire season in Arizona," said Howard, who is also the chief of the Summit Fire Department in Flagstaff. "Part of our mission at the academy is to help prepare Arizona firefighters to safely and effectively accomplish the missions that they are asked to perform."

The Arizona Wildfire Academy is a non-profit organization with the mission of developing professional and safe responses in the wildland environment by offering training and education that meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards.

Training courses scheduled to be offered at the 2009 academy include basic firefighting and wildland fire behavior; maps and compass; wildfire power saws; fire operations in the urban interface; fire suppression tactics; tactical decision games/sand table exercises; upper level incident command; and many others.

Another "All Risk" offering that has special significance is S-258: Communications Technician. The class will use the national interagency fire center radio cache and will provide a hands-on learning experience in the development of a communications system, including repeaters. Academy coordinators said that the communications class was important because of the great need for communications technicians during past "all risk" incidents such as hurricanes, shuttle recovery, wildfires, etc.

To register for the academy, visit the Arizona Wildfire Academy Web site at www.azwildfireacademy.org or call (928) 442-3563. The application for scholarships is available on the Web site. Complete it online and send it to the academy.


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