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West Virginia Division of Forestry
Glenville State College Land Resources Students Participate in Fire Protection Course
Wed Jan 5, 2022
A student in Glenville State College’s fall 2021 Fire Protection course uses a drip torch to light a controlled burn on the College Forest property. Students in the course learn about wildfire behavior, how to develop a fire plan, and are instructed on the use of controlled burns as a means of fire suppression. (GSC Photo/Kristen Cosner)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2022

For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV – Glenville State College (GSC) students in the Department of Land Resources again learned about wildfires this past semester. Students in the Fire Protection course, which is taught by Associate Professor of Forestry Dr. Brian Perkins, teamed up with the West Virginia Division of Forestry (WVDOF) for much of the course.

The course provides instruction in wildfire control, including prevention and suppression, and the development of a fire plan, from treatment to regeneration of the area with of oak seedlings. The class also addressed topics on nutrient management, forest management, and wildlife management.

Wildfires, appropriately named, travel in uncontrolled directions based on weather conditions and fuel sources. The fires leave devastation in their wake, threatening lives and property in the process. 

Students in the course learned the importance of personal protective equipment, the various tools used when fighting wildfires or working with controlled burns, and how to prepare and safely operate a drip torch. Controlled burns are fires that are started intentionally from suppression lines to lessen the fuel loads. When combined, the two fires, controlled and uncontrolled, meet and starve each other from lack of fuel.

Students also worked with the Gilmer County Volunteer Fire Department to assist with their annual hose testing.

Skills gained in the class will assist students in the S-130 and S-190 Wildland Fire Training Course that is required of all firefighters before they can work on the fire lines.

Sessions with the WVDOF were instructed by Service Forester and GSC alumnus Jesse King.

For more information about the programs within the Department of Land Resources at Glenville State College, contact the Department of Land Resources at Land.Resources@glenville.edu or (304) 462-6370.

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