MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Camp Pendleton firefighters fought alongside more than 1,100 firefighters from various federal, state and local agencies during the 28th Annual Multi-Agency Wildland Fire School here, June 1 through June 5.
Fire School provides Camp Pendleton firefighters the opportunity to work with multiple agencies which they may find themselves fighting fires with in the future. It also enables the base to burn fuels, or grass and brush, in a controlled environment in an effort to eliminate them as hazards during fire season.
The firefighters were given the opportunity to conduct training on suppressing fires by controlling and monitoring blazes which were intentionally set in three designated areas on Camp Pendleton.
All exercises were planned, supervised and evaluated by certified fire instructors from the Angeles, Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests.
“This fire school provides firefighters a training opportunity not only on how to suppress direct fire but also in decision making and prioritizing things on dynamic incidents,” said Stanton Florea, fire information officer, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Los Angeles National Forest.
The training also allowed the professionals to receive constructive criticism and actual feedback in terms of how well they conducted themselves during these situations, said Florea.
“It’s much better to make mistakes now and talk about it than (to make a mistake) in a real fire,” he added.
The 51 agencies which participated include the U.S. Forest Service, Camp Pendleton Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Cal-Fire, several tribal fire departments and county and municipal fire departments from jurisdictions throughout the Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and Riverside regions.
“The most important thing is to bring all these agencies together and be able to communicate with each other,” said Brian Harris, public affairs office representative, Cleveland National Forest.
The firefighters also constructed numerous fire breaks, which help slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildland fire, by eliminating brush or deadwood and other materials that would allow the fire continue to burn.
“We take (this training) very seriously; firefighters are people who need to train constantly,” said Florea.