PHOTOS: Around 200 wildland firefighters and instructors will gather in Sweet Home for the annual five-day Mid-Willamette Valley Interagency Wildland Fire School starting on June 23. The training event, organized by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), is designed to equip new firefighters with the skills needed to battle wildfires across the state, with the training concluding with a live fire exercise on June 27. “Cascade Timber Consulting, a local forest landowner, provides a new field site each year, and we are very grateful,” said Craig Pettinger, Incident Commander of the Mid-Willamette Valley Interagency Fire School.
“The live fire exercise provides an invaluable training experience—working in smoke, hiking through uneven terrain, and working closely with crew members to dig fireline—these are all things they’ll experience this season as wildland firefighters.” Firefighter safety is a core focus throughout the training, and participants are taught to use protective gear, handle tools responsibly, and stay alert for potential hazards. “Safety is paramount in every aspect of wildland firefighting, and it begins with our training exercises,” Pettinger said.“Working together in a collaborative training setting improves communication and builds effective relationships for all agencies to draw upon during fire season.”
