Camp Pendleton Fire School prepares crews for 2017 fire season

CAMP PENDLETON – Interagency fire crews will be participating in live fire training exercises at the 2017 Fire School, to be held June 5 to 9 at Camp Pendleton. As one component of the overall strategy for fire season preparedness, firefighters from the Angeles, Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests will be joining state, county and local government cooperators, along with units from the Marine Corps base.

The combined crews will be igniting and battling brush fires throughout the base to decrease the base’s fuel load for the summer, provide valuable experience to the firefighters, and strengthen relationships among the cooperating agencies.

“This training provides an opportunity for new firefighters to fight fire in a controlled environment,” said Seth Mitchell, Fuels Battalion Chief with the Angeles NF. “Gaining real life experience fighting fires together on the ground is invaluable and builds crew cohesion with the other agencies.”

Chief officers and captains will ignite dozens of training fires each day, allowing crews an opportunity to be first on the scene and coordinate incoming units as the Incident Commander. Crews attack the fire with hose lays and hand tools, focusing on keeping fires small and ensuring seamless interagency cooperation.

Angeles National Forest assets participating in the two-week training exercise include 28 engines, five crews, three patrols, three water tenders, and fire leadership personnel.