TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – Longview firefighters are hoping an agenda item at a city council meeting will meet needed approval. Crews with the Longview Fire Department are looking forward to a much needed live training field with specialized wildland training.
An area off of Eastman road and Van street could become a vital location in the future.
“Is important to get our hands-on training, get our new guys out here, our veterans, to get training on all the different aspects of our job,” said Longview fire department training section chief Andy Parker.
In agreement with the Texas A&M Forest Service, the live training field site will offer standard and unique and critical training. It’s important for firefighters because now it’s all going to be in one location.
In years past, training was split between the tanker training field and the Stamper park burn-house facility.
“The training field site is where we’ll do all our hands on training with the fire department. Wildland training to structural firefighters. All our hands-on training will be done here at the training field. With the ‘MOU’ we’re signing with the forest service we’ll be able to do wildland training out here. And do hands on training with the forest service,” Parker said.
The issue comes before city council tonight for approval of an agreement with Texas A&M Forest Service for the critical wildland training.
“With the new building be built over there we’ll do live fire training with that, we’ll do search and rescue. We have 90 acres of the training field,” the training chief said.
To go forward with the wildland training, council must approve a ‘memorandum of understanding’ to enable the Texas A&M Forest Service to train at the location.
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