Wildfire Academy Goals and Objectives
The Academy's goal is to provide for a safe learning environment for Wildland Firefighters and Incident Managers and to foster greater networking opportunities and partnerships between participants from federal, state, and local agencies.
To aid in achieving this objective, the NYWIMA is managed to mirror an actual incident utilizing the Incident Management System (ICS) under the direction of an Incident Management Team (IMT). The IMT reflects the interagency and cooperative nature of today's incident management philosophy with team members coming from federal, state, and local agencies.
Academy Objectives
- Train students to National Wildfire Coordinating Standards (NWCG).
- Develop qualified trainers and instructors for Wildfire and Incident Management Courses.
- Develop awareness of fire management and fire fighting safety among fire fighting organizations and public officials.
- Encourage interagency cooperation, coordination, exchange of experience, education and technology transfer from all levels of government.
- Develop a group of interagency leaders to build upon the first four goals in the metropolitan New York and Northeast Region.
Overhead Organization
Academy staff are organized in accordance with the Incident Command System (ICS). Overhead staff at the 2002 Academy consisted of 60 people from 31 different organizations.
| Position | Agency/Organization |
|---|---|
| Incident Commander | NYS DEC |
| Deputy I.C. | NYS DEC |
| Safety Officer | Colorado State Forest Service |
| Information Officer | Central Pine Barrens Commission |
| Liaison Officer | Brookhaven National Lab |
| Plans Section Chief | NYS DEC |
| Resource Unit | NYS DEC |
| Situation Unit Leader | NYS DEC |
| Operations Section Chief | Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services |
| Air Operations | NYS Forest Rangers |
| Logistics Section Chief | Northport Veterans Hospital F.D. |
| Supply Unit Leader | PA Bureau of Forestry |
| Ground Support Unit Leader | NYS DEC |
| Finance Section Chief | NYS DEC |
| Academy Coordinator | NYS DEC |
Additional Agency Overhead Team Members
Agency Representatives: Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), Colorado Fire Academy, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), Pine Barrens Commission, Suffolk County Fire Academy, Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (SCFRES), Suffolk County Water Authority (SWCA), United States Forest Service.
Students at the New York Wildland
and Incident Management Academy
Instructors
The New York State Wildfire and Incident Management Academy brings together instructors from across the nation. Instructors' professional backgrounds ranged from eight to twenty five plus years in Wildfire and Incident Management positions.
Organization and Number of Instructors
| Agency/Organization | Instructors |
|---|---|
| Bitteroot National Forest | 1 |
| Brookhaven National Lab | 1 |
| City of Boulder Fire Dept. | 7 |
| Colorado Springs Fire Dept. | 1 |
| Colorado State Forest Service | 2 |
| Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | 3 |
| Massachusetts DEM | 2 |
| New Jersey Forest Fire Service | 4 |
| National Park Service (CO and MA) | 2 |
| National Wildlife Refuge (NJ) | 1 |
| NYS DEC | 7 |
| NYS Office of Emergency Management | 1 |
| Ocean County, NJ Prosecutors' Office | 1 |
| Parker, CO Fire Protection District | 1 |
| Pike and San Isabel National Forest | 1 |
| Private Companies | 3 |
| Rapid City, SD Fire District | 1 |
| San Juan Hotshots | 1 |
| The Nature Conservancy | 1 |
| TEA-21, South Carolina | 1 |
Students
In 2002, 563 students attended the fifth New York State Wildfire and Incident Management Academy. Students came from over 29 states and represented various federal, state, local agencies as well as private sector firms.
Agencies and Their Representations
| Agencies | Student Representation |
|---|---|
| Federal | Brookhaven National Lab Bureau of Indian Affairs McGuire Air Force Base National Park Service National Weather Service Northport Veteran's Hospital Fire Department United States Forest Service |
| State | Connecticut Division of Forestry Delaware Forest Service Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Massachusetts DEM Massachusetts Fire Control New Hampshire Division of Lands and Forests NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation NYS Emergency Management Office NYS Dept. of Transportation NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation New Jersey Forest Fire Service North Carolina DPW Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry University of Rhode Island |
| County | Berks County (PA) Emergency Strike Team Chester County (PA) Parks and Recreation Erie County (PA) Parks, Recreation and Forestry Ocean County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office Suffolk County (NY) Department of Parks Recreation and Conservation Suffolk County (NY) Fire Marshal's Office Suffolk County (NY) Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Suffolk County (NY) Police Department Suffolk County (NY) Water Authority |
| Village / Town Police Departments |
East Hampton (NY) Village Police Dept. |
| Town Officials | Town of Southampton (NY) Public Safety Town of Riverhead |
| Environmental Organizations | Nantucket (MA) Land Council Nature Conservancy Quality Parks (NY) |
| Other Organizations | Civil Air Patrol Cornell Plantations |
Fire Department and Fire Crew Student Representation
Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder, DE
Bay Shore, NY FD
Bellerose, NY FD
Bohemia, NY FD
Cayuga Heights, NY FD
Center Moriches, NY FD
Centerport, NY FD
Chilmark, MA FD
City of New York, FD
Dewitt, NY FD
Dix Hills, NY Fire District
Dunns Corner, RI FD
East Hampton, NY FD
Fair Harbor, NY FD
Germansville, PA FD
Goodwill, NY FD
Great Neck Alert NY FD
Highland Lake, NY FD
Kirkville, NY FD
Lindenhurst, NY FD
Manorville, NY FD
North Cascade WA Smokejumpers Base
Northport, NY FD
North Valley Hill, PA FD
Patchogue, NY FD
Plum Island, NY FD
Richmond-Carolina, RI FD
Setauket, NY FD
Shepherdstown, WV FD
SMV, FL FD
St. James, NY FD
Tinton Falls, NJ FD
Union, RI FD
Wading River, NY FD
Waterville, NY FD
West Babylon, NY FD
Westport, CT FD
West Hartford, CT FD
Wyandanch - Wheatley Heights NY FD
More about Wildfire Academy Goals and Objectives:
- Wildfire Academy 2006 Course Offerings - New York Wildfire and Incident Management Academy
