LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS RECEIVE WILDLAND FIRE TRAINING
WAVERLY, OH-Firefighters from four local fire departments attended wildland fire suppression training on February 26, 2005 at the Pebble Township Fire Station. Fourteen volunteer firefighters from Pebble Township, Benton Township, Elm Grove, and Waverly departments in Pike County participated. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry provided the training.
“Each year an average of 1,000 wildfires burn 4,000 to 6,000 acres of forest and grassland within Ohio’s forest fire protection district,” said John Dorka, chief of the Division of Forestry. “These wildfires are attributed primarily to the careless burning of debris, and place people and their homes at significant risk.”
The six-hour class included wildland fire behavior, fuels, weather, sizing up, suppression methods, incident command, and safety.
The Division of Forestry currently has cooperative wildfire suppression agreements with 325 fire departments located within the division’s fire protection area, including eastern and southeastern Ohio, and the Maumee State Forest area of northwestern Ohio. Cooperating fire departments are the front line in community wildfire awareness, prevention, and suppression.