The North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) is conducting the Piedmont Training Academy for its rangers and foresters from December 8 to December 12. The training will take place at Sandhills Community College in Moore County and the Stan Adams Training Center in Chatham County.
Courses during the week will address several aspects of wildland firefighting emergency response, including initial attack, incident command, basic air operations, and field leadership.
Brad Allen, assistant regional forester for N.C. Forest Service Region 2, stated: “Training is paramount, and it’s critical that we continue expanding the experience level for all NCFS employees as we work to polish our tactics and broaden our capabilities. We’re still a few weeks away from the end of the year and our personnel have already responded to nearly 6,200 wildfires that burned more than 30,000 acres across the state in 2025. It’s important to note that most of those wildfires were held to just a few acres or less and these training courses are a big reason for that success.”
The program includes field operations with realistic scenarios in controlled settings to prepare staff for wildfire response and other emergencies. At Sandhills Community College, courses offered include L-280: Followship to Leadership, S-200: Initial Attack Incident Commander, and S-270: Basic Air Operations. The L-380: Fireline Leadership course will be held at Stan Adams Training Center at Jordan Lake Educational State Forest.
The N.C. Forest Service’s mission is to protect, manage, and promote forest resources for North Carolina residents. More information can be found at www.ncforestservice.gov.
