Bay Area firefighters prepare for early wildfire season ahead of Red Flag Warning

Bay Area firefighters prepare for early wildfire season ahead of Red Flag Warning

More than 500 firefighters from across California gathered in Santa Rosa this weekend for a major training event. The three-day Fire Nuggets NorCal Conference focused on the latest firefighting technologies and tactics, including the use of thermal imaging cameras, under the guidance of some of the nation’s top instructors.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - More than 500 firefighters from across California gathered in Santa Rosa this weekend for a major training event. 

The three-day Fire Nuggets NorCal Conference focused on the latest firefighting technologies and tactics, including the use of thermal imaging cameras, under the guidance of some of the nation’s top instructors. 

"It’s kind of a who’s who within the modern fire service, so being able to get trained by them is super beneficial," said Adam Elliott, a captain with the Livermore Fire Department.

Why you should care:

The training comes as firefighters across the Bay Area are gearing up for what could be an intense wildfire season, as vegetation fires have already begun sparking across the region. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Solano County and parts of the Sacramento Valley beginning Sunday morning.

"We’ve already seen some of the products from the National Weather Service, looking at above-average conditions for wildfires much earlier this season than we typically see, so all that together, isn’t necessarily to scare our community, it’s to let them know what the conditions are like," said Santa Rosa Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal. "Hopefully they’ll start adhering to the defensible space, maintaining vegetation management, weed abatement, and just be generally prepared a little bit earlier than they typically would be."

At Saturday's conference, the training largely emphasized structure fire tactics, which organizers said were increasingly relevant as wildfires begin encroaching on developed areas.

"Often times there are structure fires taking place as wildland fires are taking place, and there are a lot of tactics that are learned during these training opportunities that play into large scale wildfires," said Lowenthal.

Joe Schuler, co-organizer of the conference, demonstrated how thermal imaging tools assist crews. 

"It’s got a screen on here, and it tells us what the temperature is right," said Schuler. "And [you’re] able to locate hidden fires, as we call it."    

The technology is similar to the thermal systems used by CAL FIRE helicopters to combat wildfires at night.

The Red Flag Warning is set to take effect at 8 a.m. Sunday and will remain in place through Monday evening. It covers Solano County and parts of the Sacramento Valley.