A cargo net is hooked to the belly of a helicopter as part of a demonstration during this week's Tennessee / Kentucky Forestry Academy, a school for training personnel to deal with forest fires. (T-G photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

For the fifth year, the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Kentucky are holding their Tennessee / Kentucky Forestry Academy at the Clarence "Pete" Phillips Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy (TFACA) on Unionville-Deason Road.

The training program, which trains firefighters in techniques for battling forest fires, has been taking place this week, involving more than 300 students from Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and throughout the Southeast. The school leases and takes over "pretty much the whole facility," according to TFACA spokeswoman Karen Alexander.

"This is a tremendous facility," said William "Pee Wee" Ellison of the U.S. Forest Service. "The folks here are very easy to work with .... I can't say enough about the folks at the academy." The site also provides plenty of room for training exercises and activities.

A helicopter pilot demonstrates the technique for carrying cargo to the scene of a forest fire. (T-G photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge]

On Thursday, students learned about how a cargo net filled with supplies or a "Bambi bucket" filled with water can be quickly and safely hooked, via a 50-foot steel cable or "long line," to the belly of a helicopter so that it can be transported to the scene of a fire. Once the cargo has been safely lowered to the ground, an electrically-controlled release lets go of the cable.

Students learned how to brief passengers, prepare a manifest of passengers and cargo.

A variety of other exercises and classes have taken place during the week.