TULSA - The Operations Division of the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted an annual division-wide training program, designed to prepare rangers for public service, July 13-17.
Southwestern Division’s Visitor Assistance Citation Authority Procedure course combines 40 hours of classroom instruction and field-based practical application scenarios designed to prepare natural resource specialists, more commonly called rangers, for interaction with the public.
Full-time rangers and summer rangers from each of the four districts within the Southwestern Division attend the course. The course alternates between SWD districts each year. Next year VACAP will be hosted by the Galveston District.
The VACAP syllabus includes instruction on Title 36, the regulation governing federally-operated recreation areas, cultural competence, procedures for issuing citations and interacting with the public.
The program emphasizes performance of visitor assistance in a manner safe to the public and the ranger. Other areas of instruction include the importance of the Corps of Engineers’ park ranger image, coordination with other agencies and personal protection.
Successful completion of VACAP grants rangers 36 months of certification. The Southwestern Division’s VACAP program graduated its 1000th student in 2014. This year, 43 rangers are enrolled in the 2015 course.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division oversees four districts which include: Tulsa District, Little Rock District, Fort Worth District and Galveston District.