Delaware News

Delaware Forest Service to hold 19th “Fire Camp” at Redden State Forest on April 26

Department of Agriculture | Forest Service | Date Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2014



Delaware Forest Service veteran James Dowd of Townsend keeps a watchful eye on a controlled burn in a field at Blackbird State Forest as part of the agency's annual Fire Camp training session.
Delaware Forest Service veteran James Dowd of Townsend keeps a watchful eye on a controlled burn in a field at Blackbird State Forest as part of last year’s Fire Camp training session.

The Delaware Forest Service will hold its 19th Annual Fire Camp – an intensive one-day seminar to train volunteers in wildland firefighting  – on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rain or shine) at Redden State Forest, 18074 E. Redden Road, Georgetown, DE 19947  (Phone: 302-856-2893).

Highlights of Delaware Forest Service’s “Fire Camp”:

  • “Fire Camp” marks the capstone of the Delaware Forest Service’s annual training cycle to ready its wildland firefighters for the upcoming summer fire season.
  • The intensive one-day course serves as a necessary prerequisite for firefighters to achieve yearly “red-card” certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) to serve on out-of-state fire assignments
  • Delaware’s crew is a well-regarded unit that has seen regular action battling blazes in the western United States since 1998. In 2013, Delaware dispatched a 20-person crew to an 85,000-acre blaze near North Pole, Alaska as well as a subsequent crew that served a two-week assignment fighting wildfires near Terra, Utah and Riggins, Idaho.
  • The one-day seminar provides potential crew members with hands-on instruction in several key areas: wildfire suppression techniques, the influence of weather on fire behavior, crew mobilization and teamwork, pump and power saw usage, and most importantly, how to apply their experience to a “live” simulated fire situation.
  • In addition to training sessions and the “live” burn, many participants will also be completing an arduous work capacity or “pack test”—which calls for hauling a 45-pound pack over a three-mile course in less than 45 minutes.  Passing this test is a required component of NWCG certification.
    One of the most important skills for a wildland fire crew is "digging line," which involves using hand tools such as a pulaski to create a fire break to contain an advancing fire.
    One of the most important skills for a wildland fire crew is learning to “dig line,” in which hand tools such as a pulaski help create a fire break to contain an advancing fire.

This event often offers compelling visuals of actual wildland firefighting and provides journalists with excellent opportunities to capture photos and other audiovisual recording. Firefighters and instructors will also be available for interviews; however, media members who plan to capture footage of the live burn are advised to arrive at the site on Saturday, April 26 by 12 noon.*

Event Contact: Henry Poole, Assistant Forestry Administrator, Delaware Forest Service
Email: henry.poole@delaware.gov
(302) 943-3593 (cell)
(302) 698-4548 (office)

* The timing and location of the “live burn” is subject to change based on actual weather conditions.

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Delaware Forest Service to hold 19th “Fire Camp” at Redden State Forest on April 26

Department of Agriculture | Forest Service | Date Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2014



Delaware Forest Service veteran James Dowd of Townsend keeps a watchful eye on a controlled burn in a field at Blackbird State Forest as part of the agency's annual Fire Camp training session.
Delaware Forest Service veteran James Dowd of Townsend keeps a watchful eye on a controlled burn in a field at Blackbird State Forest as part of last year’s Fire Camp training session.

The Delaware Forest Service will hold its 19th Annual Fire Camp – an intensive one-day seminar to train volunteers in wildland firefighting  – on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rain or shine) at Redden State Forest, 18074 E. Redden Road, Georgetown, DE 19947  (Phone: 302-856-2893).

Highlights of Delaware Forest Service’s “Fire Camp”:

  • “Fire Camp” marks the capstone of the Delaware Forest Service’s annual training cycle to ready its wildland firefighters for the upcoming summer fire season.
  • The intensive one-day course serves as a necessary prerequisite for firefighters to achieve yearly “red-card” certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) to serve on out-of-state fire assignments
  • Delaware’s crew is a well-regarded unit that has seen regular action battling blazes in the western United States since 1998. In 2013, Delaware dispatched a 20-person crew to an 85,000-acre blaze near North Pole, Alaska as well as a subsequent crew that served a two-week assignment fighting wildfires near Terra, Utah and Riggins, Idaho.
  • The one-day seminar provides potential crew members with hands-on instruction in several key areas: wildfire suppression techniques, the influence of weather on fire behavior, crew mobilization and teamwork, pump and power saw usage, and most importantly, how to apply their experience to a “live” simulated fire situation.
  • In addition to training sessions and the “live” burn, many participants will also be completing an arduous work capacity or “pack test”—which calls for hauling a 45-pound pack over a three-mile course in less than 45 minutes.  Passing this test is a required component of NWCG certification.
    One of the most important skills for a wildland fire crew is "digging line," which involves using hand tools such as a pulaski to create a fire break to contain an advancing fire.
    One of the most important skills for a wildland fire crew is learning to “dig line,” in which hand tools such as a pulaski help create a fire break to contain an advancing fire.

This event often offers compelling visuals of actual wildland firefighting and provides journalists with excellent opportunities to capture photos and other audiovisual recording. Firefighters and instructors will also be available for interviews; however, media members who plan to capture footage of the live burn are advised to arrive at the site on Saturday, April 26 by 12 noon.*

Event Contact: Henry Poole, Assistant Forestry Administrator, Delaware Forest Service
Email: henry.poole@delaware.gov
(302) 943-3593 (cell)
(302) 698-4548 (office)

* The timing and location of the “live burn” is subject to change based on actual weather conditions.

image_printPrint

Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.