MAY 6, 2015
Rural/Metro and Department of Public Safety team up for wildfire training
With summer just around the corner, fire safety and prevention become a paramount concern everyone. Rural/Metro Fire Department and our partners at the Department of Public Safety conducted a drill to hone our aerial firefighting and support skills.
Carefree and Cave Creek both share a mix of homes built into the lush, and soon to be dry, desert landscape. This volatile mix of urbanization and wild lands can make firefighting very difficult.
Recognizing this, Rural/Metro Fire Department and the Aviation unit from DPS set up a large “pumpkin”, or portable dip site, to test a variety of skills and equipment. During the half day training firefighters set up the moveable site, transferred water, called in pin point air drops, reviewed safety procedures, and fought simulated fires. The DPS pilots had the ability to practice dipping out of the “pumpkin” while working with firefighters on the ground. At the end of the training both teams were then able to review best practices.
Although we hope we never need to utilize the equipment and tactics recently practiced, history tells us we will. Our training was conducted at the Cave Creek waste water complex off of Carefree Highway. We hope this highly visible location also served as a reminder for everyone to clear dead and non-native vegetation from their property.
