NORTH BEND, Wash. — Students dug fire lines and learned to burn out extra fuels to contain fires at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources' Fire Academy training Friday.
It was just a fraction of what they'll learn in the 10-day session, with 295 students rotating through the camp this spring.
It is the first year the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding this training at the North Bend location, and the first time holding a full in-person training of this kind since 2019 due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fire Academy Incident Commander Sean Kibbe said.
"It's a way to put them through multiple repetitions of different types of fire, scenarios, under really controlled environments," Kibbe said.
The training is setup like a fire camp, with students spending the night in tents and DNR's kitchen and supply trucks on site for meals and other needs. Along with live fire exercises, students learn about techniques like education and analyze firefighting strategies.
"We basically build our own town, city here with the different kinds of functions," Kibbe said.
Some of the students are in their first training session. Others have been firefighting for a few years. Though experience ranges, all receive comprehensive education meant to prepare them for diverse firefighting needs across the state.
DNR says it is staffed up for this wildfire season. Forecasters say it could be a busy one, based on the below-average precipitation and impact of springs warm temperatures on snowpack levels.
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