Chadron and other local Fire Departments were among many agencies to attend Gering’s annual Western Nebraska Engine Academy this past weekend.
Firefighters and incident management team members from over 30 agencies attended the wildland training event over the weekend.
The training is an opportunity for firefighting personnel to fine tune their leadership and tactical planning skills during an event under real life fire conditions. A controlled live fire was burned in the area on Saturday for fire personnel.
“It was a blast, we had the full experience of learning many things over this weekend. From start to finish, we were able to watch and be part of the whole process of size up, weather reports, situational awareness, ignition, all the way to mop up,” stated Angileena LaPorte, a member of the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department who attended the academy. “This training has helped me to gain much more knowledge and understanding for the wildland fireground.”
Western Nebraska Engine Academy appreciates everyone who was a part of making this event successful and safe. The exercise would not be possible without personnel from Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, US Forest Service, Nebraska Emergency Management, Nebraska State Fire Marshal, Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska National Air Guard.