Thursday, June 2, 2016

CWFIMA Class Highlight: L-962 All Hazards Planning Section Chief (PSC)


Class Highlight: Planning Section Chief

This year, the L-962 All Hazards Planning Section Chief (PSC) class is taught by Jim Jaminet and Jeffrey Kolts. (See below for bios.) Together, these two instructors bring a myriad of experiences from both the wildland and all-hazards arenas, and each is eager to impart that experience to students wishing to become Planning Section Chiefs. Jaminet names his involvement with CWFIMA as a top priority: “I believe in the training environment it creates.”  Jaminet says he sees more and more inexperienced people pushed into extremely stressful positions, and this can set them up for failure. “I don’t want anyone to fail. I want to give them a good basis to grow from. When you step into this position, now you’re the boss, and that’s quite a transition for some people… you can’t sacrifice quality in an effort to qualify quickly. I want to instill the ability to do the job well before you get to qualifying.” In the bigger picture, Jaminet is also referring to the importance of in-depth learning through mentoring – something to which both instructors have held a long-time commitment. Kolts has looked to Jaminet as a mentor in the field of Planning for many years. Now, Jaminet is excited to teach alongside someone he once trained – a mark of accomplishment for a man who states it is his job to “train his replacements”. Just as much, Kolts is looking forward to working with his mentor, “a man I respect greatly from the wildland world”. Kolts is passionate about doing for others what his mentor did for him. “I believe in the process. Teaching and mentoring is about paying it forward. Good people have gotten me this far, now it’s time for me to start helping people. And that’s how it should be for everyone. That’s your obligation. It’s required. Someone believed in you – now it’s your turn to help someone else.”


Jim Jaminet is now semi-retired after nearly 40 years of service in the USDA Forest Service. Throughout his career, he has served in numerous resource positions including timber & range management, recreation & special uses etc. Throughout his career, Jim has always participated in firefighting; first in operational positions and later specializing in planning functions. He has been a planning section chief on IMT2's and IMT1's and is currently an Assistant Area Commander Planning Coordinator. He has worked on multiple complex wildfires and all-hazard incidents.  Mr. Jaminet has been involved with CWFIMA since 1996 and he currently operates a contract instructor business.











Jeffrey Kolts has spent 28 years in law enforcement with the Denver Police Department and is presently a Sergeant over the motorcycle training program and the motorcycle enforcement unit. He has planned and executed approximately 150 motorcades, dignitary visits, and police and firefighter funerals. He planned all motorcade routes for the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Mr. Kolts is a Type 3 Planning Section Chief for the Eastern Colorado Incident Management Team and the Colorado-3 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. He has been involved with CWFIMA since 2011. He is the owner of JPK Consulting, LLC which conducts exercise development, emergency planning, and IC training.





Friday, May 27, 2016

Landowners Learn Skills Needed to Safely Dispose of Large Burn Piles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy Michael Davis, Public Information Officer 505-350-6767 mdavis@elkcreekfire.org
Gunnison, CO – Every Landowner is strongly encouraged to take wildfire mitigation steps to protect his or her property. Dropping the trees and creating firebreaks is often the easy part. Once this is done the Landowner is left with huge piles of slash and timber that must be disposed of, but how to do this safely? The Colorado Wild Fire & Incident Management Academy in Gunnison, Colorado is offering the CCBB/RXB3: Certified Burner/Introduction to Agency Burn Boss (RXB3) class, June 10 through 12, 2016. This class gives the Landowner the same tools and technics that an Agency Burn Boss uses to perform burning operations. For course information and registration visit www.cwfima.com ###

Gunnison High School, Gunnison Colorado to Host 2016 Summer CWFIMA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy Michael Davis, Public Information Officer 505-350-6767 mdavis@elkcreekfire.org
Gunnison, CO – Approximately 500 emergency responders from across the nation will converge on Gunnison, Colorado, June 6 through 12, 2016, to attend the Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy (CWFIMA), in association with The Upper Arkansas Valley Wildland Fire Foundation. Nationally recognized as one of the premier training venues, the CWFIMA will offer classes on incident management, wildland fire, and leadership, including NWCG wildfire and DHS-FEMA all-hazards approved courses. In addition, the Academy provides opportunities for students to train in specific emergency response job functions. “The opportunity to provide quality training to emergency responders who have exhibited such resilience after the past few years is both unique and rewarding. In some small way we hope the Academy can contribute to further enhancing the knowledge and skills of those who have served their communities and the State of Colorado so well,” says Academy Incident Commander James Krugman. The CWFIMA is accepting tax-deductible donations to provide local emergency responders with free tuition. The CWFIMA is committed to providing quality, affordable training. Since its inception, the CWFIMA has worked with local, state and national agencies to deliver training to over 15,000 students. The value of this training was demonstrated during responses to Colorado’s unprecedented 2012 and 2013 wildfire seasons, and the 2013 Colorado Floods, where the Incident Command System served as the model for both response and recovery, as well as student contributions at the national level at the Columbia Shuttle Recovery, Hurricane’s Ivan, Katrina and Rita.