As part of its mission to maintain wildland fire preparedness, County Fire joined 15 other agencies from across the county for simulated fire exercises May 13-14 in Hesperia.
Conducted by the San Bernardino County Fire Training Officers Association and supported by the San Bernardino County Fire Chiefs Association, this annual preparedness drill puts into practice knowledge and skills that crews have trained on at their home stations over the past several months. The goal is to put firefighters from different agencies together, testing coordination and communications as the heart of traditional fire season approaches.
These exercises also offer personnel a venue to complete task requirements as they build qualifications for fire assignments and rank promotion.
“This drill helps us find where we can strengthen communications and refine our firefighting techniques. It’s a chance to work alongside other agencies across jurisdictional boundaries and build familiarity and trust with each other. When a wildfire occurs, we all need to work together seamlessly,” County Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Allen said.
Maintaining readiness is a high priority for each of the agencies serving San Bernardino County. Meanwhile, residents can prepare by maintaining defensible space around their homes. Resources can be found at www.sbcfire.org.
On behalf of each agency involved, County Fire thanks the Joshua Inn for serving as a base camp for the drill.