Structural firefighters were put to the test in a different environment this week -- in Crooked River National Grassland.
Central Oregon Fire Management Service conducted the exercise to enhance firefighters' understanding of wildland fire tactics, operations communications, KTVZ reported.
"This is a really great interagency opportunity for both wildland firefighters and our structural firefighter counterparts" Ochoco National Forest/Crooked River Grassland Public Affairs Officer Kassidy Kern told reporters.
Before heading out to practice extinguishing the controlled burns, firefighters spent a day learning the basics about the various tools, wildland firefighting procedures and communications.
Sunriver Fire Deputy Chief Rod Bjorvik says fire training like this helps all firefighters prepare for a wildfire scenario.
"Being out here and training live fire, it really enhances that skill set, makes the participants more safer and efficient firefighters," he said.
While his crew may have structural firefighting down pat, they learned different operations such as installing hose lays, digging hand lines, mopping up. "Those kind of basic things, they get practice as well."
Kern added: "So this is a controlled environment, But it gives them that opportunity to know how to call into dispatch, to work on their suppression techniques, communicate with each other in the way that they would if they were responding to a brush fire outside of their municipalities."
