MFC employees further their expertise by taking part in the Heavy Equipment Academy

In May, employees from the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) took part in the agency’s Spring 2022 Heavy Equipment Academy (HEA).

Training is a huge part of what we do at the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Responding to wildfires is dangerous and the Heavy Equipment Academy gives our employees the real-world training they need to safely and effectively suppress wildfires in the state.

Russell Bozeman, MFC state forester

During the HEA, 16 forest rangers and forest technicians participated in two days of classroom instruction followed by three days of field work at the MFC’s HEA training site in Raymond. Students learn how to properly plow a firelane with a bulldozer, how to use a bulldozer to shape slopes, how to install BMPs, and how to properly “recover” a bulldozer that gets bogged down in the mud.

“This real-world training gives our employees the experience and confidence they need to perform their wildfire suppression duties when called upon,” Bozeman said.