Firefighters and emergency responders practiced skills for the upcoming fire season at an annual wildland skills review and field training day.
More than 40 fire fighters from Eastside Fire and Rescue, Woodinville Fire & Life Safety, Duvall Fire, the Seattle Watershed, Seattle Fire, Bothell Fire, Bellevue Fire, DNR, U.S. Forest Service and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office participated on June 1 at Camp Don Bosco in Carnation.
“Basically, we’re just getting out and getting ready with some of the skills for the upcoming season,” Eastside Fire battalion chief Dave McDaniel said, during the training day at the 150-acre camp.
A trainer briefs firefighters during a wildland fire training session Monday at Carnation. – Allyce Andrew / Staff Photo
These firefighters opted-in to participate in the voluntary training for chainsaw use and forest control, portable pump and hose tutorials and urban-interface fire-risk assessments for structures.
“We’ll clean some of (the camp’s) trails for them,” McDaniel continued, “and clean around some of their cabins… With the (chain)saw work, we’ve taken down some of their trees and then we cut it up into firewood for them. It’s a real cooperative effort with Camp Don Bosco.”
The crews worked with “structure protection” type 1 engines, the ubiquitous big-red engines, but primarily focused on type 6 engines, which are smaller four-wheel-drive vehicles that are easier to maneuver in forests. Using a portable “fold-a-tank,” the responders simulated a water supply and practiced drafting water into portable pumps to supply water to hose lines that stretch 300 to 600 feet.
The Bothell Fire team practices drafting water from the “fol-da-tank.” – Allyce Andrew / Staff Photo
