Wildland Firefighter Training to Take Place in Fargo (5/1/2012)

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North Dakota National Guardsmen use hand tools to build a fire line during training April 22, 2012, near Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck, N.D. The exercise was part of training provided by the North Dakota Forest Service to certifiy and re-certify 38 North Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers in Wildland Fire Behavior and Firefighter Training. The training teaches fire tactics and emergency response in case Guardsmen are needed to respond to wildland fires. (Photo by Maj. Shannon Horton, North Dakota National Guard)

FARGO, N.D. — About 50 North Dakota National Guard members will be participating in the introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior and Firefighter Training Friday through Sunday in Fargo. The Red Card training, which is provided by the North Dakota Fire Service, also took place in Bismarck last month for 38 additional Guardsmen. The training teaches fire tactics and emergency response in case Guardsmen are needed to respond to wildland fires.

The lessons will be conducted through classroom training and field exercises at the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119^th Wing. Instruction covers fire behavior factors, fire weather, logistics and terminology, firefighter preparedness, fire orders, fire shelters and more.

The training incorporates a three-mile march with a pack that will begin at 3 p.m. Friday. On Sunday, the Guardsmen will conduct field exercises on using hand tools and water to suppress fires from 1-4 p.m.

For more information about the training and coverage opportunities, please contact Maj. Shannon Horton at 701-391-4458. To arrange an escort onto base for coverage, please call Capt. Penny Ripperger at 701-212-8710.

WHAT: Wildland Fire Behavior Firefighter Training for North Dakota National Guard members

WHEN: Friday, May 4, through Sunday, May 6, 2012

WHERE: North Dakota Air National Guard, 1400 32^nd Ave. N., Fargo, N.D.

MEDIA: The best times for visual coverage will be at 3 p.m. Friday during the ruck march and at 1 p.m. Sunday for the field exercises.

For more information on the training, contact Maj. Shannon Horton at 701-391-4458. For a base escort, contact Capt. Penny Ripperger at 701-212-8710.

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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,800 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 70 percent of all members serving today have joined since that time. Currently, nearly 400 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while about 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.

Photos

High-resolution photos of the April 2012 training in Bismarck, N.D., can be downloaded from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndguard/sets/72157629889930845/