Several hundred firefighters will be on the Arkansas Tech campus beginning Sunday for the annual Arkansas River Valley Wildland Fire Academy, which is hosted by the Professional Development Institute at Arkansas Tech.
The academy runs through Sunday, May 25, and those attending over the course of the two-week academy will be able to choose from numerous courses to help prepare wildland firefighters.
Organizers say the academy provides participants with unique experiences and “a broader view of the profession,” due to the varied instructors selected to take part in the academy.
In addition to classroom instruction, the firefighters will also have the opportunity to take part in field training as part of the courses.
Over the course of the academy, officials estimate participants will earn approximately 16,000 hours of professional development which will help attendees be better prepared “to safely and effectively fight wildland fires at home and across the nation.”
Agencies participating in the 2012 Arkansas River Valley Wildland Fire Academy include:
- U.S. Forest Service
- Arkansas Forestry Commission
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- National Park Service
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
- The Nature Conservancy
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Oklahoma Department of Forestry
- Department of Defense Personnel
- Oklahoma Native American tribes (Apache Tribe, Caddo Nation, Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation, Kiowa Nation)
Learn more about the 2012 Arkansas River Valley Wildland Fire Academy.
