Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CACHE COUNTY — Firefighters from around northern Utah gathered at Bear Lake on Friday to receive training and prepare for wildfire season.
The weekend-long training was organized by the Cache Valley Fire department. Local firefighters are typically the first to respond to a large wildfire before federal teams are called in for assistance, and the emphasis was placed on how to attack a fire in the first moments.
"They're going to be the digging line," said Box Elder County Fire Marshall Greg Martz about local firefighters.
Longtime firefighter veteran Robert Sanders will have his 39th fire season this year, and he helped mentor a team of new firefighters during the training.
"More or less, get the cobwebs out and get ready for the fire season," Sanders said. "(Make sure we're) doing it safely. Making sure they're all in line with the goals of what they're supposed to accomplish."
Around 70 firefighters from around a dozen different departments will spend the weekend focusing on strategy and safety.
"Some counties don't get near the experience that other counties get," Martz said. "(The training offers) a wide range of what really is out there in the wildland field."
With so many variables involved, Sanders said that wild land fires can be unpredictable. Making a few mistakes in fighting the fire at the beginning can make it grow much faster.
"Dealing with Mother Nature, you're going to come up against some problems," Sanders said.
The Cache Valley Fire Department started its training course in 2010 funded by a state grant.
