Correspondent

Catherine Drew

Correspondent | NEW YORK

Member Since: August, 2024 | Stories Submitted: 1

The New York Wildfire & Incident Management Academy was created after the severe 1995 wildfires that occurred in Rocky Point, Ridge, Northampton and Westhampton on Long Island. These events represented the first time in recent history in which local firefighters faced wildfires of the scale and magnitude of those more commonly associated with the western United States. NYWIMA's goal is to provide all-hazards, wildfire and incident management training in a safe learning environment for first responders, public safety personnel, emergency services workers, firefighters and incident managers and to foster greater networking opportunities and partnerships among participants from federal, state and local agencies. The Academy is under the umbrella of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning & Policy Commission, a NYS entity. NYWIMA conducts its training mission in conjunction with a vast number of cooperating, sponsoring and supporting agencies.