Sarah Thompson
February has been a month of concen‑trated, hands‑on training for Tensas Parish Fire District #1, as local firefighters and first responders participated in two major instruc‑tional events designed to strengthen emergency response, improve coor‑dination among agencies, and enhance firefighter safety in high‑risk situations.
On Feb. 19, Acadian Air Med partnered with Tensas Parish Fire District #1 to host a Landing Zone Safety Class at the department’s training site on Highway 65. Representatives from Tensas Fire, the Tensas Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and Northeast Louisiana Ambulance Service attended the session, which focused on prepar‑ing local responders for safe and efficient helicop‑ter operations.
Acadian Air Med, part of Acadian Ambulance Service, has been a leader in air medical transport since 1981 and now flies more first‑response mis‑sions than any other air medical program in the country. With the clos‑est aircraft stationed in Ferriday and Monroe, the goal of the training was to strengthen coordination between local agencies and flight crews during critical emergencies.
According to Acadian Communications Specialist Natalie Robert, the class covered estab‑lishing safe landing zones, including night operations, along with aircraft safety and emergency procedures. The training also outlined when it is appropriate to activate Air Med for situations such as strokes, heart attacks, or serious trauma. Participants also reviewed how and when to transport patients to higher-level facilities in Alexandria, Monroe, Baton Rouge, or Jackson.
Tensas Fire Deputy Chief Danny Lance expressed appreciation for the collaboration. “We had participants from the Tensas Sheriff’s Office, NELA Ambulance Service, and Tensas Fire in attendance,” he said. “Thank you to Mikalyn Rymer and Air Med 8 for putting this together. We look forward to working with you in the future.”
Just days later, the department shifted from aerial operations to fire behavior with a two-night Flashover Training presented by the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy (FETA) on Feb. 23 and 24. FETA’s mission is to train and certify emergency responders through high-quality, accredited instruction that meets the evolving needs of the fire and EMS community.
The first evening consisted of classroom instruction focused on reading smoke, understanding fire development, and recognizing the warning signs of a potential flashover— a dangerous event in which superheated gases ignite almost simultaneously. The second night brought firefighters face-to-face with those concepts during a live-burn demonstration using FETA’s flashover prop.
“We were able to watch the fire grow from the incipient stage to fire and temperatures of 1,000 degrees just a few feet above our heads,” Lance said. “We saw up close the effects of ventilation on a fire. A big thanks to the volunteers who showed up to train and to FETA for bringing the prop and burning it for us.”
Together, the Landing Zone Safety Class and the Flashover Training represent a significant investment in readiness for Tensas Parish’s volunteer firefighters and partner agencies. From coordinating medical air transport to understanding the most dangerous stages of structural fire behavior, February’s training series strengthened the skills and teamwork that local responders rely on when seconds matter most.
