Wildland firefighting training offered in Alamosa and the field

Photo courtesy of the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy In this photo from a class in Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2), students receive training out in the field.

ALAMOSA — Over 400 firefighters from 18 states gathered this week at Adams State University for training offered by the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy.

Classes included an introductory course designed to train entry-level firefighters, called Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2). Students gain knowledge of the basic incident management organization, firefighting techniques, suppression equipment, safety, strategy, and tactics along with fire behavior in the class.

In some of the classes, these new firefighters will spend the night in the field to get an idea of what being a firefighter is like on an actual assignment. Often, wildland firefighters spend many nights and sometimes weeks in the field fighting blazes.

The Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy was founded 29 years ago and holds classes at Adams State and will offer another training next January at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

For information regarding the academy and the scholarships it offers, visit cwfima.org.