WPAFB Strengthens Regional Readiness Through Collaborative Wildland Fire Training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Tiffany Scofield
  • 88th Air Base Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Oh. --  

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Fire & Emergency Services hosted a critical multi-agency wildland fire training event, March 23-28, at the Wright Brothers Memorial Interpretive Center. 

The event highlighted the importance of mission and community partnerships, bringing together military members and civilian agencies to forge strategic relationships and enhance collaboration. This focus on creating mutual benefits is key to strengthening the entire region’s emergency response capabilities. 

The six-day program provided a rare local training opportunity for firefighters from Wright-Patterson, other military bases, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 

The training was delivered by the Joint Fire Training Academy, a partnership with Colorado State University’s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). For nearly four decades, CEMML has supported resource conservation on federal lands, evolving from a single vegetation sampling project in 1985 to a comprehensive organization providing natural and cultural resource management across the country. 

“We partner with the Air Force and the Army to provide wildland fire training for personnel involved in fire suppression and prescribed burning,” said Mike Bowden, a program lead with CEMML. “This week we delivered three courses developed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, which brings together all the major agencies involved in wildland fire in the United States.” 

The curriculum featured advanced courses covering intermediate fire behavior, advanced firefighter leadership, and field operations in the wildland-urban interface. Each course was designed to move firefighters beyond basic skills into advanced leadership roles. 

For local participants like Blake Emmert, 788 CES Fire Captain at FD Station 3, the training provided immediately applicable skills for protecting the base. 

“For me, the biggest benefit is understanding fire behavior and how weather will impact conditions on the ground,” Emmert said. “As a captain, it helps me make better on-scene decisions, whether to reposition crews or engage the fire where it is. It ultimately helps us protect people, property and the installation more effectively.” 

The intensive classroom sessions focused on the key drivers of fire behavior, which are weather, topography, and vegetation. 

“It gives firefighters the base knowledge and understanding of how fires behave so they can make better decisions when they’re on the ground,” Bowden explained. 

The goal is to prepare attendees for leadership roles, such as becoming a certified burn boss for prescribed fires or leading crews during wildfire response. 

“For many of the Department of Defense personnel, this is part of the path toward becoming prescribed fire burn bosses,” said Michael Durfee, an instructor with CEMML . “As they move into leadership roles, it’s critical they can apply that knowledge to make sound decisions.” 

The week culminated in a field exercise where students applied their new knowledge in simulated wildland-urban interface scenarios. The collaborative environment was a significant theme throughout the week. 

“We get people from all over the country, and within a couple of days it becomes a really cohesive group,” Emmert noted. “Everyone brings different experiences to the table, which makes the training stronger.” 

By bringing together diverse agencies under a shared mission, the training did more than just build individual skills; it strengthened the fabric of regional cooperation, ensuring that Team Wright-Patt and its community partners are better prepared and more connected than ever before.