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Wildfire Academy

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in conjunction with the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission and its Wildfire Task Force, will hold the fifteenth annual New York Wildfire and Incident Management Academy (NYWIMA) from October 26 through November 2, 2012 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY.

This year the Academy will offer 16 courses and will also offer local resources the opportunity to participate as members of the Academy's Incident Management Team. Since the Academy was formed in 1998 it has offered approximately 336 courses in incident management, wildland firefighting and prescribed fire to approximately 5,800 local and national emergency response personnel.

In 2012, the Academy has partnered with the NY Firewise Council to offer for the first time ever a free National Fire Protection Association course on Assessing Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone.

This two-day program is designed for wildland/urban interface coordinators, fire service professionals, urban and state foresters, developers, community planners, insurance professionals, and others who will benefit from understanding how to reduce losses from wildfire. The course will emphasize developing an understanding of wildland/urban interface fire mitigation issues and also focus on assessing risks to individual homes in forested, or grassland areas.

In addition this year's academy will feature two new classes never before offered at the Academy. The two classes, Basic Wildland Search Skills and a Canine Search and Rescue Seminar, are designed to not only develop search skills but show how the Incident Command System can be utilized to help aid in rescue efforts in urban or wilderness settings.

The Academy will also offer a chainsaw class on Debris Removal After Disasters. This course is designed for Department of Public Works, Department of Transportation, and other emergency response personnel. The course is designed to especially focus on the difficult aspect of cutting and removing trees and other material after large-scale wind-driven storms.

This year's fall Academy will also once again offer several course groupings that closely follow position training qualification listings for wildland and prescribed fire positions found in PMS 310-1 Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualifications System Guide and FSH 5109.17 Fire and Aviation Management Qualifications Handbook. Course groupings include concentrated training programs focusing on the training necessary for wildland firefighters to perform in Firefighter Type 1 and Crew and Engine Boss positions.

The Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission's Wildfire Task Force will conduct the Academy along with a consortium of federal, state and county agencies including: (Federal)- Brookhaven National Laboratory, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service; (State)- Central Pine Barrens Wildfire Task Force, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Emergency Management Office, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control; (County and Other Organizations) - Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services, Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation, Suffolk County Incident Management Team, Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) and the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy.

Class registrations must be received by the close of business on Friday, September 28, 2012. The Academy will cost $50 per day per course for enrollment before September 1 and $65 per day per course for enrollment before September 29. Classes that do not meet minimum enrollment standards by September 14 will be cancelled.

Academy attendees are encouraged to register online for the Academy at http://www.nywima.com/ .

If you have any questions about the 2012 New York Wildfire and Incident Management Academy, you may e-mail the Academy at fireacad@gw.dec.state.ny.us or or nywima@pb.state.ny.us or call directly at call at 631-444-0350.


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