In preparation for the upcoming wildland firefighting season, the Turlock Fire Department will be hosting several training sessions at the Turlock Municipal Airport in May.
The training sessions will involve the personnel from several fire departments in Stanislaus and Merced counties, Merced Cal Fire, the Turlock Airport, and the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services.
This type of live fire training offers realistic training scenarios that are beneficial to fire crews, while allowing crews to work with other agencies and build strong relationships throughout the region.
“Frequently firefighting crews, from throughout this region, are dispatched to fight fires or mitigate other emergencies,” said the Turlock Fire Department in a news release. “These joint training exercises will allow the firefighters to improve communications, better understand the strategies, tactics, capabilities and limitations of their partner agencies.”
The training sessions will take place May 27, 29, and 30 beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending no later than 6:30 p.m. All training sessions will be conducted at the Turlock Municipal Airport, located at 13604 Newport Rd. in Ballico.
During the training, the entrance to the Turlock Airport at Newport Road will be closed with barriers. The public is advised that emergency vehicles will be operating in the area surrounding the airport and citizens should travel with caution in the area.
East Avenue will remain open to traffic during the training and all barriers and road closure signs will be removed when training is not going on.
“All efforts to mitigate impacts from the smoke will be made during the entire training and if significant amounts of smoke should become an issue, the Turlock Fire Department will adjust the training or cease the burning operations accordingly,” said the Turlock Fire Department.
