The benefits of prescribed fire have been well documented, but it gets a bit hairy when a wildfire burns across the landscape. As such, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Deparment (TPWD) State Parks Division is collaborating with the Texas Forest Service (TFS) to offer three Wildland Firefighter Training Exchanges at state parks this January through March. Two exchanges have been completed to date, and the third is being held February 28 through March 6. As the collaboration develops, the trainings may be opened up to additional agencies and the public in years to come.
The idea for the training exchange arose last year when State Parks Wildland Fire Program Manager Jeff Sparks was visiting with TFS Mitigation and Prevention Coordinator Rich Gray. Jeff explains, “We were discussing how we could better provide training and experience opportunities to inexperienced firefighters, and also training opportunities to firefighters working to increase their firefighter qualification levels.” Continue reading TPWD Offers Wildland Firefighter Training