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Fifteen local firefighters completed a 12-hour advanced wildland firefighter course after taking instruction Thursday evening and all day Saturday.

The class was taught by three Washington State Department of Natural Resource firefighters, and sponsored by the local fire departments and districts, and is one of several courses offered.

The course, called S-131 Firefighter Type 1, or Advance Firefighter, covers a range of topics including safety standards and hazardous identification. The course also includes the risk management process used on wildland fires, the use of the incident response pocket guide as a reference for actions on and during firefighting, learning how to incorporate and maintain open lines of communication with appropriate personnel, and identifying documentation responsibilities during fires.

Firefighters from Coulee Dam, Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee City, Douglas County Fire District 3 and Grant County Fire District 6 participated.

Those completing the course were: Connie McKay, Cory Allman, Steve Knighten, Josh Reeder, Judah Pope, Mara Landrum, Tristan Daniels, Loryn Alexander, Nic Alexander, Richard Coffland, Ron Rosenberg, Dan Rosenberg, Tyler Donn, and Brenden Jordan.

The next step in preparation for the 2017 wildland fire season will be required Wildland Fire Safety Training, an annual refresher session for all firefighters.