Cal Fire is already training for this wildfire season. On Saturday, firefighters, pilots and members of the National Guard began training to fight the flames, which are expected to be more aggressive this year due to the persistent drought, reports news10.net (http://on.news10.net/1Eqa9vr)
“It’s more important now than ever that we need get together early, get prepared, and ready to fight this fire season,” Cal Fire spokesperson Lynne Tolmachoff said.
The air attack is a crucial part of the fire fight. Firefighting pilots practiced their water drops by picking up water from the lake in Ione and taking it back.
“We cannot waste water during this time of the year, during this drought,” Tolmachoff said. “So they’re recycling the water but they’re still getting the practice in, which is very important for all of these guys.”
California firefighters are already getting a taste of what’s to come. So far this year, Cal Fire has responded to over 600 wildfires, just last week they worked almost 150.
“The last few years have all been considered very bad fire seasons so we’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing, but it’s a lot of preparation because we know it can be very bad,” U.S. Army Military Field Commander Maj. John Allen said.
Last year, Cal Fire responded more than 6,000 wildfire, 1,000 more fires than crews battled in the 2013.
