Christmas Parade.

From the 2011 Amherst Christmas Parade.

Smokey Bear says "Thank You."

Wintergreen Refresher

A picture perfect day!

On November 6, 2011 a group of 32 part time firefighters converged on the Lake Monacan Clubhouse at Wintergreen in Nelson County to complete a yearly wildland fire refresher. Around 7am with a healthy layer of frost still on the ground, the group began their grueling physical fitness testing. A majority of the group took the moderate test which consists of carrying 25 pounds for 2 miles in 30 minutes. This allows the firefighters to meet the minimum physical standard for fighting fire on the Virginia Department of Forestry's behalf. A small group of the firefightes took the ardous test which consists of carrying 45 pounds for 3 miles in 45 minutes. This allows those firefighters to meet national firefighter fitness standards and to travel around the country fighting wildfires. I am pleased to say that the entire group passed with flying colors (the primary color being red from working up a sweat).

 

The training then progressed to an introduction of the cadre by the Incident Commander, Derek Keiser of Amherst. Serving on the cadre was Bill Perry (Operations Chief), David Powell (Safety Officer), Martha Warring (Logistics), Sandra Stephens (Finance), Houston Roberts (Fire Shelter, Entrapment Avoidance), Phil Carpenter (Air Operations), L.E. Rhodes and Paul Stoneburner (Structure Protection), Robbie Talbert (Fire Weather), Jason Braunstein (Mapping), and myself Erik Filep (Public Information Officer). A big thank you goes out to all VDOF personell involved, who helped ensure that the training was successful and beneficial to the firefighters.

Incident Command Post briefing

Paperwork was filled out and door prizes were handed out. This was followed by a safety briefing and assignments for the day. The firefighters rotated through five stations for the day: Fire Shelter Deployment, Structure Protection, Air Operations, Fire Weather, and Mapping. Each group of 6-7 rotated through the station with 50 minutes of instruction.

Lunch was provided with delicious BBQ, baked chicken, green bean, baked beans, coleslaw, and a variety of tasty homemade desserts. My personal favorite were the pumpkin cookies! During lunch a fire shelter and entrapment avoidance video was viewed to remind firefighters of the important of personal protective equipment including the fire shelter. After lunch the crews continued through the rotations.

We wrapped up with an After Action Review where the firefighters were able to provide feedback on how the day went and what would like to be seen for the training next year. All in all the reviews were excellent and the firefighters involved seemed to have had a great day. We tried to mimic a wildland fire scenario with the structure of the class so that students would be well prepared on what to expect with a large incident.

Another training is being planned for next year and we are excited to see what training opportunities that will bring. I am very thankful to the firefighters, not only to the service that they provide both to the Virginia Department of Forestry  and the state of Virginia, but also for their willingness to donate their Sunday to better themselves. The positive attitude displayed shows that we are truly blessed to have such a great crew.

Here are some pictures from the day's activities:

Nelson County Hummer Unit

Learning how to become a "hot pocket"

Swinging weather the old fashioned way

Structure protection using Class A foam

GPS units require a lot of thought!

2011 Spring Fire Season, So Far....

On Feb 14th there were 103 fires for 828 acres.  On these fires there were a total of 18 homes/structures damaged and 218 Protected.

The Feb 19th and 20th fires there was a total of 190 fires burned for 7,608 acres. There was 896 homes and structures protected although 104 homes and structures were damaged.

Statewide Fire Activity on Feb 19-20th.

• Albemarle County: Ragged Mountain Fire, 700 acres 61 structures protected.
• Albemarle County: Esmont Road Fire, 40 ac with 10 homes protected.
• Amherst County: Pendleton Drive Fire, 100 ac with 25 homes protected.
• Brunswick County: 2 fires 80 acres each
• Chesterfield County: numerous fires, largest was 30 acres
• Fauquier County: Thompson Mill Rd. Fire- 200 ac with 5 homes protected.
• Fort Pickett Fire: estimated 5000 acres burned since 14 February in live fire impact areas; fire is contained and did not threaten neighbors off post.
• Fort A.P. Hill: estimated 4500 acres; this fire got off post for about 6 acres.
• George Washington National Forest and the Shenandoah National Park report four large fires. The Pickle Branch Fire (Craig-Roanoke County) at 665 acres, The Coffman Fire(GW/JEFF NF), 1,262 ac on private land and 1,293 ac on federal lands and Chestnut Fire (Shenandoah National Park), 135 ac on private land and 965 ac on federal lands in Rockingham County combined into 1 big fire. ) at 3,655 acres, many structures located south of the fire, some evacuations were completed. And the Smith Run Fire (Warren-Rappahannock County) at 1,950 acres.
• Goochland County: 273 acres with 25 protected 1 destroyed.
• Gloucester County: 400 and 229 acres.
• Louisa County: Chopping Road Fire, 900 acres, 2 structures destroyed and 7 structures minor damage with 75 homes protected.
  
• Louisa County: Garners Rd Fire, 75 ac with 20 homes protected.
• Louisa County: Buckner Fire - 65 acres with 15 homes protected.
• Middlesex County: 524 acres.
• New Kent County: 91 acres; closed I-64 for a short time.
• Page County: The Kibler Hill Road Fire, 40 acres, 1 structure destroyed, 2 garages with 4 cars destroyed, 47 structures and other buildings protected.
• Rockingham County: Kauffman Fire-1,262 ac-Private and 1,200 federal with 120 homes protected.
• Shenandoah County: Crooked Run Fire- 332 ac with 11 homes protected with an evacuation.
• Scott County: Midol Fire on Powell Mountain, 550 + acres.
• Warren County: Lookout Mountain Fire- 24 ac with 57 homes protected and one destroyed.
• Warren County: Brown Town Fire- 200 ac private with 20 homes protected.

Registration for Virginia's 11th Annual Statewide Wildfire Academy is Now Open

This years academy will be held June 1 - June 4, 2011, and will once again be on the campus of Longwood University in Farmville, VA.

There is a registration fee of $50 for all attendees, except federal employees. (Federal employees are required to pay a registration fee of $50 per day.) Registration includes all course materials, meals and dorm style lodging.

The link to the full details of the academy, course information and registration is now located on the homepage of our agency website.

Here is the direct link: http://www.dof.virginia.gov/fire/index-Acad-June_2011.htm

Training Announcement

Firefighter Type 1 Training

S-131

Squad Boss

Course Date and Time:
Saturday, February 26th
9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Course to be held at the Buffalo Recreation Center off Mount Pleasant Road in Amherst County.


S-131, is an eight hour course designed to meet the training needs for the Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) position. This course is designed to be interactive in nature. It contains several exercises designed to facilitate group and class discussion.


Student Prerequisites
Students should be fully qualified as a NWCG Firefighter FFT2

(Successful completion of S130 / S-190.)

You MUST register prior to February 15th.

To Register contact:

Derek Keiser at the Amherst VDOF office

434-946-7955

or email

derek.keiser@dof.virginia.gov