Emergency response leaders from across the country and Canada in Duluth for the Section Chiefs Academy

By WDIO

Maintaining a level head at Section Chief’s Academy

Management teams are attending training put on by the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact.

More than 100 people from across the country who want to advance their leadership skills in emergency management are in Duluth this week.

They’re part of the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact’s Section Chiefs Academy, which takes place every three or four years.

More from the Section Chiefs Academy in Duluth

Another look at the Section Chiefs Academy in Duluth..

The nine-course offerings focus on the Incident Command System and the Incident Management Team’s core command and general staff positions – incident commander, public information officer, liaison officer, safety officer, and the section chiefs who coordinate planning, operations, logistics, and finance. 120 students from the Great Lakes Region – Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Manitoba, Canada – and from further, like Alaska, are here.

Taylor Schenk, Wildland Training and Certification Supervisor for the Minnesota DNR, told us, “You see emergency responders running around the scene. This is the nuts and bolts. This is where we learn to do that, and bring organization to chaos.”

The conference continues through the week at the Holiday Inn.