The Division of Parks and Recreation will be hosting a Wildland Fire Engine Academy, March 3-9, 2024, at Haw River State Park.
The academy is a joint effort with the Florida Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the North Carolina Forest Service, North Carolina State University, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the U.S. Forest Service.
This weeklong program will train participants in fire engine operations and the use of portable pumps for wildland firefighting. It also will feature classroom lectures and hands-on exercises, including live fire exercises on Friday, March 9, weather permitting. The program is modeled after engine academy training regularly offered by the Florida Park Service and the Florida Forest Service.
Ten engines will be present at the park during the training. The instructor cadre includes natural resource management staff from the division; aforementioned partner agencies in North Carolina; similar organizations in Florida, Virginia, and New Jersey; and the U.S. Forest Service. The 31 participants also include division and partner agency staff, as well as participants from Florida and Virginia. The training was coordinated with the North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council.
“We are very excited for this partnership to bring this Engine Academy to North Carolina for the first time,” said Jimmy Dodson, the division’s Natural Resource Program Manager. “Prescribed fires are a very important tool for natural resource management across the Southeast, and we hope to continue offering this training regularly, much like Florida Park Service and other resource agencies have done.”
About North Carolina State Parks
North Carolina State Parks manages more than 262,000 acres of iconic landscape within North Carolina’s state parks, state recreation areas and state natural areas. It administers the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, including its local grants program, as well as a state trails program, North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers and more, all with a mission dedicated to conservation, recreation and education. The state parks system welcomes more than 19 million visitors annually.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit https://www.dncr.nc.gov.