VIDEO: Whatever Mother Nature has in store these next few months, Arizona fire crews will be prepared.
On Monday, nearly 20 local, state, and federal fire agencies met for their annual wildland response training.
The training goes on for two days at the Superstition Fire and Medical District’s regional Training Center in Apache Junction.
The CAWRT drill allows fire agencies to train and interact through in-class instruction and fire drills. “It just gives us a chance to build relationships, collaborate, do regional training, and possibly learn something new,” said Dave Folio with Scottsdale Fire. Training includes hand-line preparation, radio, and communication drills, and fire-shelter deployment. “We teach people how to inspect a fire shelter, how to use it when to use it, and how long to stay in there. So this is kind of basic training for that,” said Keyahan Tabak with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire.