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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5312in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D979CA.5D7F2A70" alt="Graphical user interface, text
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">April 28, 2023
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:22.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Idaho is training loggers to fight forest fires<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little proclaimed the month of May as Wildfire Awareness Month, and as the State of Idaho actively gears up for fire season, the Governor’s
administration is teaming up with loggers to better fight wildfires in Idaho forests.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Fighting wildfire safely requires training. The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) is creating new opportunities to train loggers, foresters, and landowners of large tracts
of industrial forestland to safely help fight wildfires, keep lands healthy, and save scarce firefighting resources.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">In his first State of the State and Budget Address in 2019, Governor Little talked about Idaho’s leadership in embracing fresh, collaborative approaches to land and fire
management. He pointed to the hundreds of ranchers and farmers who have become members of rangeland fire protection associations across southern Idaho.
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“I want to carry over this successful wildland firefighting model to Idaho’s forestlands by expanding the initial attack capabilities of our loggers,” Governor Little said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The IDL online fire training portal provides access to training resources that qualifies these boots-on-the-ground to safely fight fire within areas where the IDL provides
fire protection. It is available at </span><a href="https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-training-for-loggers-and-industrial-foresters/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-training-for-loggers-and-industrial-foresters/</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The portal connects forestry professionals with traditional in-person or virtual classes and free self-directed online learning.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">With proper training, owners and operators of heavy equipment can become eligible to contract for fire suppression work, adding to the state’s firefighting capacity while
benefitting local economies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“Building wildfire suppression capacity by empowering loggers, industrial landowners and foresters to safely fight fires leads Idaho to greater self-sufficiency,” Governor
Little said. “We’re making it easier to access the training and certification needed to safely fight fire, enabling industry folks to extend their helping hands when fire strikes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho (ALC) support the new training opportunity, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“This partnership with industry is more important than ever as wildfires have become more frequent and more severe,” ALC executive director Shawn Keough said. “Our logging
contractors and crews are usually close by and can provide initial attack before others can even arrive thus putting out fires or keeping them small and controlled. They also have the skills and equipment to continue working on containing a fire."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">"This training by IDL helps cut some of the red tape involved for our crews to do this work while keeping everyone safe,” Keough added. "And given persistent drought conditions
and heightened fire risks, having additional personnel and equipment available to fight wildfires is crucial.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"># # #<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Please DO NOT REPLY to this message. For press inquiries only, contact the Governor’s press office at (208) 854-3015 or e-mail
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