VACAVILLE -- Smoke seen across Vacaville near Browns Valley Parkway on Monday was no cause for alarm. In fact, it marked the fourth and final wildland fire training operation for the Vacaville Fire Department (VFD) as they prepare for fire season.
The training took place on Callen Hill as crews practiced mobile attack tactics with fire engines and rigs mobilizing up the hillside as crews intentionally set controlled fires and immediately worked to put them out.
Other crews were on standby as a backup in the event the flames got out of control, which did not happen Monday.
"Today is mainly for our academy recruits to get some sets and reps with the mobile attack and firing operations," said firefighter Brian Jewell, VFD spokesperson.
The mission teaches best practices to firefighters in training and helps veteran crew members brush up on their skills.
Fire engineer Brian Buathier takes CBS13 inside the "mobile attack unit.""It's a slower scale for them to learn how to read the fire, how to read the winds, watch the smoke. Different techniques of extinguishing the grass fires out here," said Jewell.
During the training, fire engineer Brian Buathier allowed CBS13 to tag along in his rig as he moved up the hillside, feeding hose to the crews on the fire line and controlling their water pressure.
"My job, I'm moving along with the fire. I'm following the crews. They dictate how fast I go here," said Buathier from the driver's seat. "This, it just goes a lot faster than doing a hose lay." The crews on the fire line are both extinguishing and igniting the flames, a teaching moment that was the first time recruit Noah Lauser-Jones came face-to-face with wildland fire. "So, it's good to kind of get your hands on instead of just training. You're able to actually see it through," said Lauser-Jones, feeling accomplished after the training mission. This type of firefight is rare, considering these crews can control the fire from start to finish.
"A real wildfire, we can't pick and choose the winds. We can't pick and choose the terrain," said Jewell.
Still, they have to be ready at a moment's notice, even during training.
"These firefighters out here training right now could leave here, fill their units with water and get called to a real wildland fire within minutes," said Jewell. The goal: readying their response for when Mother Nature takes the reins.
The mission also kills two birds with one stone, reducing dry brush on Callen Hill.
"The training is priceless, but we are also getting rid of the dry fuels up on this hill, it's extremely windy. A north wind could push any fire on this hill over into the mobile home park, multi-family dwellings. If we don't burn up this fuel in a controlled setting, the possibility of an uncontrolled fire coming over and causing serious damage, loss of life is always there," said Jewell.
VFD ended the controlled burn earlier than scheduled on Monday due to forecast high winds later in the day. The final session wraps up a week of four total training burns for the department.
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