A large wildland fire will be set on Monday, February 20th at Camp Bowie in order to train firefighters attending the 10th annual Central Texas Wildfire Academy on Feb. 17-20. The Lake Dam Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting the training in conjunction with the Texas Forest Service and all firefighters are invited to attend.
The academy will feature wildland firefighting training for both paid and volunteer departments, as well as courses focusing on safety and fire operations in the wildland urban interface. A prescribed burn field exercise – allowing students to actually work on a fire – will be held if weather permits on Monday. According to Tammy Brown with the Lake Dam VFD, the prescribed burn will be held on section 11 of the Camp Bowie National Guard facility. Brown also stated that the area burning may be increased as Major Jamey Creek, the officer in command at Camp Bowie, is working to get permission for a larger area of prescribed burn which will be performed separately from the training school.
The cost to attend is $60 per day, payable through a voucher system with the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, a grant program funded by the state and administered by Texas Forest Service. Breakfast and lunch are served for a combined $15 per day. Free lodging in barracks is available on site at Camp Bowie in Brownwood.
Firefighters wishing to attend can visit the Texas Interagency Coordinating Center training page or contact the academy registrar at AcademyRegistrar@tfs.tamu.edu or 979-458-7330.
