Mystic Ranger District Office hosts Annual Media Fire Training
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) -Fire danger was listed as high Tuesday at the Mystic Ranger Forest Service office which made it a good time for the Forest Service to host a wildfire media training.
Members of the media were sent back to school Tuesday, learning lessons on fire behavior, safety, and other areas.
“Some ways to find information about fires and hopefully the media outlets will help us share information with the public so information about fires is out there publicly,” said Public Affairs Officer of the Black Hills National Forest Scott Jacobson.
Jacobson added establishing relationships with the media is critical.
“For one thing, just having relationships with the reporters and knowing who each other is and when the fires start, we’re moving. And so, it’s good to have that relationship established up front,” said Jacobson.
Attendees also learned about the fire triangle which covers the ingredients a fire needs including oxygen, heat, and fuel and how taking away one of those ingredients can extinguish a fire.
The media training served as a helpful guide for reporters on what to expect and how to prepare when covering a wildfire.
“It was good to learn from the actual experts. It was good to hear what to do in a worse case scenario, really learning how those fire shelters work. It could save my life one day if I’m out covering a wildfire,” said News Reporter for KOTA Territory News Brad Walton.
After watching an instructional video on the importance of fire shelters and how to deploy them, attendees’ knowledge was put to the test through a fire shelter simulator.
“I’m gonna have to remember if I ever have to do this in real life is to throw all of my gear away from me so that doesn’t burn up right next to me. But after you do that, obviously, pull the cord, get that thing out, grab it with both hands. Try to get it over your back as quick as you can and lie face down in the dirt. That’s the way you can minimize the heat coming in contact with yah,” said Walton.
The meeting also served as a guide to ensuring public safety in the event of a wildfire.
“There’s a process in place that we can get everyone out to report on these stories and to make sure that the public safety is in place,” said Fire Prevention Officer of the Black Hills National Forest Jeni Lawver.
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