Forest firefighters from around the South train at Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Duration: 2:32 543 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

From Monday the 15th through Friday the 20th, the second Southern Area Advanced Mountain Dozer Academy was held at Pine Mountain State Resort Park to provide hands-on training for rangers and firefighters from across the South. The controlled environment allowed these professionals to practice operating heavy equipment in realistic scenarios that simulate actual wildfire conditions. Participants like Jacob Angvine, who works out of Northeast Georgia and originally hails from California, emphasized the importance of this intensive practice for building muscle memory and ensuring safety during real emergencies. The training focused on critical techniques such as creating firebreaks around machinery and managing burnable materials to protect equipment from intense heat. Students learned that while heavy machines are powerful tools for fighting fires in mountainous terrain where foot crews may be less effective, they must also carry hand tools to handle specific tasks like digging lines around the vehicle. Additionally, the curriculum included using water suppression tanks on tractors to wet down surrounding material and cool any debris caught in cages, ensuring everything remains safe until the fire passes through. Beyond equipment safety, the course exposed firefighters to challenging driving conditions on dirt roads and steep mountain faces, situations they might rarely encounter in their daily work. Instructors noted that even experienced personnel learned something new every day, highlighting the value of seeing exactly what these machines can do in a controlled setting. This exposure helps both newer and veteran crew members understand their limitations and capabilities better, ultimately making them more effective when facing actual wildfires in difficult terrain. In conclusion, this academy serves as an essential resource for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of wildfire response teams in the Southern region. By combining practical simulations with theoretical knowledge about machine operation and fire behavior, the program ensures that firefighters are well-prepared for high-stakes situations. The insights shared by participants underscore the belief that continuous learning and realistic practice are vital for saving lives and protecting communities from the destructive power of forest fires.

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From Monday the 15th to Friday the 20th, the second Southern Area Advanced Mountain Dozer Academy is continuing at the Pine Mountain State Resort Park to bring our rangers and firefighters from all states around to get hands-on practice in a controlled space. Here we have one of the students, Jacob Angvine, to tell us a bit about himself and the training he's been going through. >> Uh I work out of Northeast Georgia and I have a sham Raven Stevens and White County. Um Originally from California, but I wound up in Georgia doing this, operating equipment. Um I do hand crew work sometimes, but that's the most realistic simulation I've ever had to deal with. You know, you walk through it and you do it as frequent as you can cuz when the time comes and you need to do it, you need that muscle memory. You need to remember every step you need to take to do it. You need to know what your pinch points are, too. Like when it comes time to either leave or know you're in a good place to stay, like need to understand what that is or what that looks like. >> in the event of a wildfire in our mountains where foot crews won't have much of an effect, but with heavy equipment, they can fight the fires more efficiently and effectively. Here is Angvine to tell us more of the specifics on what they have to do. >> Yeah, so initially you start, you grab a You always carry hand tools on these machines. Um The machine is your tool, but when it comes down to it, you might end up needing a tool just to maybe get something else done or in this situation, dig yourself a line around your equipment. The most important thing is just making sure there's no burnable material around it. And then we also moved into there's a water suppression tank on this tractor. Uh we were able to wet down a lot of the material around it. Anything that might have gotten caught in any of these cages on it or any of that, just an extra measure to kind of make sure everything stays cool when the fire does eventually come through. We uh moved from that portion to then starting fire around ourselves. Once that material outside of the break that we put in has been burnt, there's no fuel for the fire that's coming to consume close to that piece of equipment anymore. Um this is definitely a course that like especially when you work in mountainous terrain like this, it it'll help you the newer guy, you know, even an older guy. I mean, a lot of the instructors themselves have been telling us they've learned something new every day. And it's not even just this tractor abandonment scenario. I mean, we're driving on these dirt roads and putting ourselves in situations maybe we've never been in previously, you know, I've only driven a tractor down a mountain face a few times. So, to be in a controlled environment and see what these machines can actually do, I think is extremely valuable. >> Reporting for Mountain Top News, I'm Connor Kid.