• Availability:  FWS EMPLOYEES / AFFILIATED PERSONNEL ONLY who operates Service-owned, leased, or rented crawler dozers.  Contact your appropriate Regional Heavy Equipment Coordinator to register for the course.  

• Pre-Requisite:  Completion of the Web-based Heavy Equipment Pre-Class Training course FWS-SAF-HE-PRECLASS-OLT is required prior to attending Heavy Equipment Safety Training.  

• Description:  This course provides the training required in FWS Policy, 321 FW 1, to permit operation of Service-owned, operated, rented, or leased crawler dozers and is designed to familiarize employees, volunteers, and partner operators with the safe operation and preventative maintenance of crawler dozers.  The course includes classroom and field operation instruction. 

• Objectives:  Provide operators with the skills and knowledge necessary that will allow them to make informed decisions about their own safety, the safety of those around them, and the crawler dozer.  Also, allows attendees to demonstrate, through written examinations and actual demonstration, that they have the skills and knowledge to safely operate a crawler dozer in accordance with Service policy, manufacturer specifications and industry standards. 

• Length of Course:  Determined by class size but typically takes 1 day / 8hrs.  Training consists of at least 4 hours classroom study and no less than 1 hour of field operation (seat time) per student 

• NOTE:  Heavy Equipment Operator refresher course is required 3-years after completion of this course in order to maintain authorization to operate. Refer to FWS-SAF-HE-REFRESH-OLT, Heavy Equipment Safety Refresher OLT Course for details.  

FWS Regional Heavy Equipment Coordinators contact information:

National Coordinator (703) 358-2190
John_Blitch@fws.gov

Region 1 & 8  (503) 231-2075 

Region 2 - Ed Bass, (505) 248-6607
Ed_E_Bass@fws.gov

Region 3 - Dale Pittman, (309) 535-3151
Dale_Pittman@fws.gov

Region 4 - Stan Zazado, (404) 398-1855
Stan_Zazado@fws.gov

Region 5 - Bill Starke, (413) 253-8581
Bill_starke@fws.gov

Region 6 - Wade Briggs, (605) 256-1081
Wade_Briggs@fws.gov

Region 7 - Thomas Siekaniec, (907) 786-3344
Thomas_Siekaniec@fws.gov