TPW TV: Wildland Fire Team
Friday, April 5th, 2013
Image, Chase A. Fountain, © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
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Texas Parks and Wildlife is growing its Wildland Fire Team, made up of employees throughout the state. The TPW TV Series features the group this month. Producer, Abe Moore, has details.
54— We followed Kevin Ferguson who works at Kickapoo Cavern State park, and Robin Dabney, who works out at Dinosaur Valley State Park. They also do lots of prescribed burns, where they burn 5 to 10-thousand acres of parkland every year.
The fire behavior is very good; we’re getting what we want. It’s exciting. It’s sort of an adrenaline rush.
So, now while we were working on this story for the TV show, the biggest, most devastating wildlife season in Texas history happened.
You had to be prepared to be able to endure whatever’s thrown at you – especially in an emergency situation like that.
They’re able to handle some seriously stressful situations. Even when I was filming them doing the prescribed burn, I’m just walking along with my camera as the fire’s happening; all of a sudden I noticed my microphone started melting because it was so hot. And I’m running away from the fire, going ‘Okay; I don’t know what I’m doing. I better pay more attention here.’ And they’re just smooth as silk because they know how to handle the situation. It struck me that they really are prepared and well-trained.
The show airs the week of April 7 though 13.
Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.
For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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