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2024 Southern Area Advanced Mountain Equipment Academy VIP Day

The Southern Area Heavy Equipment Operator Academy Steering Committee invites you to visit the first-ever Southern Area Advanced Mountain Equipment Academy in Pineville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Division of Forestry is hosting the 2024 Academy at its 15,251-acre Kentucky Ridge State Forest.

The Academy dates are September 8th through September 13th. Students will be in the field from September 9th through September 13th. During the VIP Day on September 11th, visitors can tour the Academy and observe student activities. We will have the Academy PIO staff available to accompany you to the field sites and give you a good overview and tour of the Academy.

The Southern Area Advanced Mountain Equipment Academy is managed by a Type-3 Interagency Management Team that encourages collaboration between several state and federal agencies throughout the Southeast, including the Kentucky Division of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service.

Heavy equipment operators must know how to operate in unfamiliar territory and terrain. This training is hands-on, seat-in-the-equipment, multi-scenario, paced, and includes individual coaching and guidance. Although this specific training is always dangerous, engaging in a controlled training environment provides our wildland firefighters with invaluable safety and training benefits.

Here is a video of the Southern Area Geographical Heavy Equipment Operator Academy hosted in Mississippi in 2022: 2022 Southern Area HHEOA Video

VIP Day at the Southern Area Advanced Mountain Equipment Academy

Guests will meet at the Pine Mountain State Resort Park Lodge at 1050 State Park Rd, Pineville, KY 40977, at noon on September 11th. After a briefing, they will caravan to the field site. There will be a short welcome and presentation about the Academy. We will then visit the live training stations, where they will see students and coaches in action. Please grab lunch on your own beforehand, and remember to dress comfortably and wear hiking shoes or boots.

Please let us know if you will be able to join us using the following R.S.V.P:

 We hope you will attend!

R.S.V.P. for the 2024 Southern Area Advanced Mountain Equipment Academy VIP Day