NMFI News:

SANTA FE – A total of 181 wildland firefighters from five states representing 36 different federal, state, local and non-governmental jurisdictions are attending the inaugural session of the new Northern New Mexico Fire Academy in multiple locations centered around Santa Fe this week. 

The Academy is offering nine classes based on a training needs analysis that identified the Incident Command System (ICS) and wildland firefighting courses in highest demand in the region. In addition to specific skills required on the fire line, such as ignitions operations and the tactical use of chain saws, the courses include wildland fire behavior and managing fire in the wildland/urban interface.

The Northern New Mexico Fire Academy is sponsored by the Northern NM Training Group, a multi-agency partnership that includes the Santa Fe National Forest, Cibola National Forest, Carson National Forest, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, New Mexico State Forestry Division and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The Academy format brings agencies with diverse missions together to build strong relationships and promote coordinated incident response prior to the start of the 2015 wildfire season. 

Courses meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards, providing Incident Command personnel and firefighters the training they need to respond to wildfire and other emergencies safely and effectively.