Issue 27 • 2010 A Lessons Learned Newsletter Published Quarterly

Wildland Fire

Lessons Learned Center

A lesson is truly learned when we modify our behavior to reflect what we now know.

Wildfire Academy Lessons Learned

The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center staff recently interviewed seven fire training academy coordinators around the United States regarding their notable successes, difficult challenges, effective safety practices, training recommendations and unresolved issues in the implementation of fire training academies. Special thanks are extended to these Academy Coordinators for sharing their significant lessons and practices with the wildland fire community.

In This Issue Academy Information Academy Information...... 1 New York Wildfire Academy Incorporating Lessons Learned...4 The New York Wildfire Academy began in 1998, with the aid of instructors Notable Successes...... 4 from the Colorado Wildfire and Incident Management Academy, and is held each year over a ten day time frame in the month of October. In its first year, Difficult Challenges...... 6 102 students participated in eight different courses. Since then, the academy Future of Academies...... 8 has grown substantially. In 2009, 400 students could select from 29 courses. In 12 years, over 5,100 students representing 150 agencies — from 38 states and How to Contact Us: two Canadian provinces — have trained at the academy. The tuition rate [email protected] has remained the same since 1998, approximately 50 dollars per day. The [email protected] academy is supported by many agencies, including local, county, state and (520) 799-8760 or 8761 federal. Dormitories and restaurants exist on campus and most field classes fax: (520) 799-8785 are also held on campus, including a burn boss course and other major courses in prescribed fire. http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/73.html Continued on page 2 www.wildfirelessons.net Utah Wildfire Academy In May of 2010, the Utah Wildfire Academy celebrated a decade of presenting between 18-22 quality wildland firefighter courses each year to approximately 300 firefighters from throughout the United States. The academy is held in Richfield, Utah, a small community that enthusiastically supports wildland firefighters in their efforts to manage our country’s resources. In addition to excellent community support, the academy credits much of its continued success to exceptional interagency cooperation between wildfire agencies and fire departments from throughout the State of Utah. The 2010 Utah Wildfire Academy was held at Snow College in Richfield from May 17-21; further information regarding the academy may be found on its website at www.utahfireinfo.gov. Arizona Wildfire Academy The Arizona Fire Academy formed in the aftermath of the 2003 Rodeo-Chediski fire. Don Howard’s vision to get agencies on the same page regarding rural, county, and state fire protection provided a foundation for this academy. In its first years, only nine classes were held with a couple hundred students annually. Currently, attendance has grown rapidly to over 800 students per year. In 2006-2007 the academy co-hosted the Healthy Forest Summit with then-Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who now serves as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. To date, the academy has provided over 200 classes, issued more than 4,000 certificates of completion, worked with over 400 staff and 500 instructors, and provided a venue for 160 vendors. Classes are usually held at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, during the school’s March spring break. http://www.azwildfireacademy.org/ Colorado Wildfire and Incident Management Academy The Colorado Wildfire and Incident Management Academy offers more than 15 classes in locations across the state. The academy benefits small fire departments and communities that may not have the opportunity to get this type of training elsewhere. Using agency personnel and retirees as instructors and staff, the academy keeps costs per student relatively low. This academy was the first of its type in the nation, and from this success, others have since been developed. The academy focuses on providing training to fire departments, with their participation making up between 38-45 percent of its attendees. http://www.cwfima.com/ Tennessee/Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy The Tennessee/Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy, held in January each year, hit the nine year mark in 2010. It is a cooperative effort between the Tennessee Division of Forestry, Kentucky Division of Forestry, the Daniel Boone and Cherokee national forests, the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Region 4 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service’s Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Until this year, instructors were responsible for providing all their materials for the course. However, the academy recently incorporated as a non-profit corporation and now has funds to purchase workbooks and materials. Tuition also helps to cover the cost of materials. The Tennessee/Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy Entrance academy does not pay instructors from tuition funds, but Photo Courtesy of uses them to promote the academy by purchasing t-shirts Tennessee/Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy for sale and contributing to the National Wildland Fire- fighter Foundation. Tuition runs 50 dollars per day for a course, plus meals and lodging. The Tennessee Service Fire and Codes Enforcement Academy provides classrooms, lodging and meals. The academy pays instructors their normal salary and instructors are also sometimes hired under the AD pay plan. The academy pays AD instructors from budgeted fire management funds. Sierra Blanca Wildfire Academy The coordinator of the Sierra Blanca Wildfire Academy refers to it as “Our Academy,” because this wildfire learning centerhas incorporated the Ruidoso Fire Department, New Mexico State Forestry Department and the U.S. Forest Service. He feels that the U.S. Forest Service leads the industry in expertise. The Forest Service provides between 20 and 30 experienced instructors to the academy each year. The academy pays for the logistics such as the facilities and also provides instructors with both structural and wildland fire backgrounds. The academy focuses on collaboration and maintaining relations between the agencies. In addition, the academy charges only 20 dollars per class, an uncommonly low tuition — made possible using an instructor cadre comprised of Forest Service personnel and trained volunteers. This enables the academy to hire contractors (including recent retirees from the Forest Service and the state), using grant funds provided by the State of New Mexico. The academy caters to nearly 150 students, and expects 200 attendees next year. The academy limits attendees to 200 to keep instructor-student ratio low, with no more than 20 students per class. http://www.sbwfireacademy.com/ 2 Midwest Wildfire Training Academy The Midwest Wildfire Training Academy offers a variety of courses based on assessed needs and is held the first or second week of June in Jefferson City, Mo. The academy resides at Lincoln University, having moved from a previous location in a school system facility. The change occurred after the school system activated summer school hours that conflicted with the academy schedule. The academy began in 2002 with approximately 12 courses offered, growing to more than 30 courses over the years. However, because of recent economic pressures, the academy has now scaled back to 17 courses. The Midwest Wildfire Training Academy adheres to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards. Its instructors come from the Midwest Compact area (Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois), as well as from other locations around the country. The academy began with 200 students per year and has hosted as many as 400-500 students. Due to the adverse economy, only 250 students attended last year. Unique to this academy, it runs concurrently with the University of Missouri’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute. One incident management team manages both the academy and the institute, as a single effort, with courses offered in both wildland and structural fire services. Many students from the structural fire service have responsibilities in the wildland-urban interface, and participate as qualified handcrew members or engine crew members on national wildfire assignments. Courses cost students 60 dollars per day for the 100/200 level and 70 dollars per day for the 300/400 level. http://www.mufrti.org/

Sandtable Training Photo Courtesy of Colorado Academy

33 Incorporating Lessons Learned

Running an Academy like a Type 1 or 2 Incident Management Team The Arizona Wildfire Academy pushes participants to be ‘students of fire,’ as described by the late wildland firefighter and mentor Paul Gleason, and to understand the many lessons learned by providing quality instruction using instructors who understand High Reliability Organizing, safety, and risk management. The academy assures a high caliber of instructors using a good check-and-balance system. The academy is run much the same as a type 1 or 2 incident. The academy employs instructors who have actual wildfire experiences. Consequently, the academy is recognized nationally with 27 different states represented at the academy last year. Developing Safety Messages At the Tennessee/Kentucky Academy, the staff develops safety messages for each day ensuring that every class receives a common safety message. Staff members may base their safety messages on information from the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC), current weather conditions, or current events. Instructors often come back year after year, in part because sponsoring agencies typically coordinate several classes. For each class, the coordinating agency provides the instructor. Lessons from Life Experiences At the Sierra Blanca Fire Academy, instructors always provide lessons learned from real life experiences. The Ruidoso Fire Department drills with the Forest Service once a week, employing lessons learned from past fires. After Action Reviews (AARs) are brought into the mix concerning what happened on these fires. The NWCG curriculum is taught and customized according to fires and training needs. At the Utah Wildfire Academy, each lead instructor and his or her cadre also draw upon past experiences on incidents, as well as After Action Reviews to incorporate lessons learned into their curriculum. Notable Successes Training with FEMA In the past, wildland fire agencies had Incident Management Teams (IMTs) working mostly in wildfire. However, in the aftermath of events such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Columbia Shuttle Disaster, Hurricane Katrina, etc., IMTs respond to non-wildfire events as well. The academy has established the ability to train people at the Type 3 and Type 4 levels and to work with other emergency management agencies to help train people serving in overhead positions to work on non-wildfire incidents. This past year, the academy held a course with FEMA for the first time. More than 100 students trained for positions on “all hazard” overhead teams. Many of the students have become wildland firefighters. A few instructors are former students coming back to train others. The academy wants its students to become leaders on IMTs — many become unit leaders and sections chiefs. Offering Courses to Contractors and Community Members Utah Wildfire Academy classes are offered not only to firefighters, but to contractors and interested members of the community as well. An example of the Utah Wildfire Academy’s success is featured in an article which appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune, July 7, 2007. The Tribune attributed the newspaper’s ability to provide accurate and timely news coverage on the Neola North Fire — on which three residents perished — to the Tribune reporter who had previously attended the academy and received training in safety as well as fire behavior and fire weather. The Utah Wildfire Academy offers live fire exercises in S-130/190 (Basic Firefighting), S-131 (Advanced Firefighting Training), and S-230/231(Crew Boss/Engine Boss) courses. Students who attend these classes are required to camp out for 2-3 nights and obtain hands-on experience dealing with live fires. This field training has proven to be invaluable to entry-level wildland firefighters. Scholarship Money for Student Attendance The fact that the Arizona Wildfire Academy has survived the past eight years as a training venue represents an academy success. The academy is known for its safe, instructional background. Over 1000 people attend per year. The fact that it has grown in size, even though there are many other venues nationally, also represents a success. The academy provides scholarship money, which comes from local fire departments and the community wildfire protection plan. The residents created this plan to protect their community from wildfire. The plan is funded by supporting agencies, grant money and local fund raising efforts. Federal and state emergency offices and the Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission also provide large grants and scholarships for those in Prescott and much of Yavapai County. Last year the academy provided 20,000 dollars in scholarship funds to students. The average cost per student at 3.5 days is approximately 200 dollars per student. Teaching All-Risk and Wildland Fire Courses Together One success of the Colorado Academy is its ability to provide “all risk” incident (FEMA) classes along with the traditional NWCG (wildland fire) classes, to broaden the student pool. This instructional addition also increased the academy’s chances of receiving additional grant money. 4 Becoming a Non-Profit Organization One success the Tennessee/Kentucky Academy achieved was turning this learning institution into a non-profit organization, which now allows the academy to take credit cards rather than using the Standard Form 182 (SF 182). Because people from other agencies can now pay for courses without going through the difficult SF 182 process, this provides the academy more flexibility and enables its staff to work with personnel from a broader range of agencies. Becoming a nonprofit organization has truly eased this academy’s financial workload. Not all of the academies have taken this step. A couple of years ago the academy offered a few higher level courses, but now that the regional academy is offering these higher level courses, the Tennessee/Kentucky Academy feels less need to instruct courses such as Rx410, which require considerable preparation in order for students to succeed. The development of a wonderful cooperative relationship with the regional academy represents a notable success, enabling the academy to prepare people for higher level courses at the regional academy.

Cutting Line Training Photo Courtesy of Colorado Academy Agency Collaboration Collaboration with agencies represents the Sierra Blanca Academy’s biggest success. In the fire services, there are often many egos and “turf wars” to contend with. The successful relationship formed between the academy, the U.S. Forest Service, the State of New Mexico, and other agencies rests on a foundation of friendships and bonding. As a result, if a wildland fire or all-risk incident occurs in this area, all of the agencies work together cohesively. They train together once a week, enabling communication lines to remain clear and open. The agencies now coordinate their activities through various groups, and have unified their missions. People now know that when they come to work for this academy, whether they are from the Forest Service or the state, everyone is working together without fear of turf wars. Partnerships Prove Critical For the Midwest Fire Academy, the marriage between the academy and the University of Missouri helps with both finances and resources. Other partnerships have proven critical as well. For example, funding for instructors comes from several sources, with many instructors paid through their agencies to teach academy courses. In addition, some retirees volunteer to instruct and the academy pays for their travel and a daily stipend. The academy does not generally pay for outside instructors, preferring to use self-funded agency personnel. 5 Driptorch Safety Instruction Photo Courtesy of Chuck Hamilton

Difficult Challenges

Fiscal Restraints Cause Decreased Student Numbers Fiscal constraints remain one of the biggest challenges that wildfire academies across the nation face. Student numbers at the New York Wildfire Academy have been as high as 612 in past years, but because of fiscal restraints at federal, state and local levels, these numbers have declined. The academy asks potential students to provide input on which courses they would like offered. The New York Wildfire Academy obtained a grant from the National Park Service “Ready Reserve Firefighter Account” program. This grant pays a great portion of the academy cost, including student air fare, hotel charges, and per diem. The grant helps keep academy rates at 50 dollars per student/per day and also helps to ensure low housing costs. Cooperative and supportive agencies allow the academy to provide an economical training program. Many agencies help control costs by providing their own equipment and supplying what they can. Due to retirement, the wildland fire community is losing people, and much of the knowledge they hold. The experience that these people have brought cannot be easily replaced. Consequently, as people leave, the academy must quickly find high quality replacements to maintain a high level of education and experience. Accommodating Seasonal Firefighter Schedules The Utah Wildfire Academy is generally held the third week of May, which is later in the year than some other academies. This time frame allows the academy to accommodate seasonal firefighters, many of whom are students and not available until school closes for the summer. This allows access to rooms at Snow College for accommodations. 6 Overcoming Funding Challenges Like the New York Wildfire Academy, funding also presents a huge challenge for the Arizona Academy. However, like its peers, the Arizona Wildfire Academy formed a nonprofit organization and established funding agreements across the agencies. State and private grants also help. For instance, the Tohono O’odham nation recently gave the academy a very generous grant, helping to keep costs commensurate with what students can afford. To further overcome the funding challenge, this academy has streamlined its business and become more efficient. While it used to spend money on mailing and stamps, it has since moved to electronic communication to disseminate information. Academies need to provide quality training for very little money. At the Arizona Wildfire Academy, for about 60 dollars per day, students receive breakfast, lunch and all their training materials. Fiscal Restraints The Colorado Wildfire and Incident Management Academy faces challenges such as continually meeting the needs of students, funding, and meeting multiple agency needs. The ever-increasing costs to host the academy, along with a reduction in students, instructors and staff due to declining budgets, presents a dilemma as training and travel dollars always seem to be the first to be reduced.

Instructor Pay and Student Travel Funding also presents a challenge to the Tennessee/ Kentucky Academy. Tuition is not the problem — enrollees do not complain about that. The difficulty lies in getting the sponsoring units to commit to and pay for the instructors, as well as getting students to the academy to take the courses. It is often difficult to send people across state lines because of agency funding restrictions. It is important to have the curriculum nailed down in a timely manner so that people can prepare their nomination forms. Even though the Tennessee/Kentucky Wildfire Academy sets a cutoff date for nominations, it still contends with late nominations, which sometimes cause course cancellations. It seems that as long as the course is kept open, it will eventually fill, but it is always a gamble. Chainsaw Safety Training Photo Courtesy of Colorado Wildfire Academy Letting people know what courses the acad- emy will offer presents another challenge. People have become accustomed to looking on the National Fire Training Website, where they can search by course to find opportunities. However, a specific course will only appear if the sponsoring agency lets the National Fire Training Website coordinator know specifically about each class. The website does link to each academy, but it does not show specific courses offered by the academies unless they have been specifically pointed out. The challenge lies in ensuring that the regional training representative has all of the necessary information to get specific offerings onto the National Fire Training Website.

Selecting Courses to Offer Course scheduling is a challenge for the Midwest Wildfire Training Academy. Cooperating agencies conduct assessments of training needs to select courses they require or need. The academy sometimes finds that even though training needs assessments indicate a large need for a course, very few people actually register for the class. Rather than relying solely on agency assessments of training needs, the academy coordinator feels that, perhaps, they need to conduct assessments of potential courses at the academy by surveying potential students directly. 7 Future of Academies

Prepping Students to Work at Fire Academies For the New York Wildfire Academy Coordinator, the future and vision is that as time goes on, this academy will be able to train people in overhead IMT command and overhead IMT general staff positions, and then have the best suited people take over the academy when it is time for the current coordinator to move on. In the meantime, it is necessary to make sure that agencies maintain their support and that the academy coordinator provides a quality education by maintaining a high standard of quality for trainers, students and programs. The need for more agencies working with the academy to maintain diversity also exists. This academy strives to guarantee that everyone has an opportunity to learn through affordable tuition. Prescribed fire has become a key tool in the northeast and New England. It is therefore important to ensure that squad level fire training for ecological demands is met in this region. The New York Academy currently offers experience, knowledge, exposure to prescribed fire and it is the academy goal to continue with this practice. Preparing Firefighters to Meet Challenge Since its inception in 2001, the Utah Wildfire Academy’s main goal has been to train wildland firefighters in basic and higher level courses and thereby assist them in the advancement of their careers. By providing critical classes, the academy ensures that firefighters are prepared to meet the challenges of the job by offering quality instruction that meets or exceeds NWCG standards. This academy strives to be committed to professionalism and to continually respond to its students’ needs. Building Additional Capacity through Off-Site Training It is the hope of the Arizona Wildfire Academy Coordinator that the academy continues to be a venue at which agencies come together, network, and work together with the people they will see on fire assignments. This coordinator now realizes that as we start area academies, we should also focus on some off-site training to build additional capacity, perhaps holding a major academy, with “mini academies” across the region. Understanding Trends and Addressing Needs The Colorado Wildfire Academy strives to proactively understand the trends and address the needs of the wildland fire community and its partners in the “all-risk” world. This academy will continue to offer a variety of course opportunities, including the more complex NWCG standard wildland classes. Prepping for Higher Level Courses Having a cooperative relationship with the regional fire academies is the goal of the Tennessee/Kentucky Wildland Fire Academy. This academy wants to be a reliable source for getting the lower level courses taught well and to help people prepare to go to the regional academy and successfully take the higher level courses. The academy coordinator envisions it as a feeder for the regional academy. Continuing to Teach Cooperation The Sierra Blanca Academy goal is to continue to teach cooperation between agencies and deliver a most effective, cutting edge wildland interface training program. The academy continually strives to attract the “best of the best” instructors as well as reach its target number of students, which is 200. The academy coordinator firmly believes this goal will be met in 2011. Having a Fire Cadre Ready and Available The Midwest Wildfire Academy’s goal is to support quality wildland fire training for the Midwest Compact and wildland fire community. In addition to supporting the individual agency objectives, it aims to have a fire cadre available, ready to meet a national response incident. This academy wants to see a broader community cooperative effort among the different agencies. The desire is to create a training environment that does all discipline rather than just wildland fire such as incorporating the NWCG structural firefighter courses. It used to be that the Forest Service had its fire organization and the states had their fire organizations, etc. Today, agencies have become more integrated with one another in part due to funding, but also as the situations on the ground become more complex.

uuu

8