National Rappel Academies
Each spring rappellers from across the nation come to John Day to attend the annual Vet-Recert Acadamy. The goal of our academy-style immersion training is to provide standardized training to all the rappellers, allowing crewmembers to "boost" other crews in the region when there is a high fire load or a lightning bust. The standardized training cuts down on transition time, effectively allowing rappellers to show up at a sister base, receive a briefing and within minutes be rigged up on the way to a fire.
Our training academy has received nationwide recognition for its effectiveness and a National Rappel Academy has been modeled after this template, taking place in Salmon Idaho each year. Each crew plays an invaluable role at academy; providing rappel spotters, seasoned vets and various overhead as well as a wealth of experience and teaching ability. MRC is fortunate to have a 50-foot multi-level rappel simulation tower with aircraft cabin mock-ups which is utilized during academy and throughout the season for training. For more information on the National Rappel Academies, see the training link above. Here are a few shots from past academies... |