Released: January 30, 2004

Kansas Forest Service Offers Aerial Firefighting Course

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Firefighters who may have to direct efforts to control wildfires in Kansas have a unique opportunity Saturday, Feb. 7. The same chance is open to agricultural aerial applicators, long and popularly known as crop dusters.

The Kansas Forest Service, cooperating with the Great Bend Fire Department and Syracuse Flying Service, is offering those fighters and flyers a free, day-long training course in using agricultural airplanes to suppress fire.

“We’ve been working to develop this class for more than three years, and we’re excited that it’s finally become a reality,” said Casey McCoy, KFS fire management coordinator. “It should be a great opportunity to learn about the potential of the untapped aerial resources in our state, especially for incident commanders with agricultural aircraft in their area.”

The Great Bend Fire Department, located at 1205 Williams St., will host the morning session. Starting at 8 a.m., this half of the training will cover fire behavior, air operations, radio communications and the tactical considerations in using aircraft.

The site for the 1-5 p.m. session will be the Great Bend Municipal Airport, 4 miles west. Participants will get to work around aircraft and do hands-on loading, as well as view aerial drops. The in-field discussions will include Class A foam as a retardant, coverage levels and safety considerations.

“Naturally, the hands-on portion and field demonstrations are very weather-dependent. In the event of inclement weather, the course will be postponed to Feb. 21st,” McCoy said. “I’ll make every effort to announce any schedule change. But if the weather is bad and participants haven’t heard anything, they’ll find information on the Kansas Forest Service Web site (http://www.kansasforests.org/) or they can get in touch with me at 785-532-3307.”

Those without Internet or long-distance access also can ask their local K-State Research and Extension office to check the schedule for them.

No preregistration is required for the no-cost training, but McCoy is asking those who are interested in attending to let him know, to aid in planning.

“I don’t believe anything like this has ever been offered in Kansas before, even though we do have numbers of wildland fires every year,” he said. “The day is sure to be full of good discussion and good information.”

-30-

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News