Over the course of a week, 68 individuals from over 27 different organizations were introduced to the world of the Plumas Cal-TREX. From April 28 to May 4, fire professionals, interested local residents, students and more attended the fifth annual Plumas Prescribed Fire Training Exchange, learning tools to further their careers in and knowledge of prescribed fire. The theme of the week was “Objectives,” and students were encouraged to ask questions constantly to ensure that all learning, fire and safety objectives were being met during the week.
The event kicked off at Feather River College with an RT-130 course, the required annual refresher to maintain a Firefighter Type 2 certification. Attendees, who came from 15 different California counties as well as out of state, then moved over to Copper Creek Camp in Greenville for the remainder of the week. Organizers said participants camped, trained and ate meals together to build cohesion and camaraderie, something that is essential in any fire situation.
Trainings on Monday and Tuesday focused on fireline essentials — weather observation, radio protocols and chain of command, hose lay, and how to use equipment such as pumps and fire engines. The group also participated in a discussion on traditional ecological knowledge and Maidu fire practices led by Danny Manning of the Greenville Rancheria.
Live fire was implemented on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout Plumas County: 6.7 acres were burned in Butterfly Valley near Quincy, 10.8 acres were burned at Copper Creek, and 9 acres were burned at Baker Forest in Meadow Valley, resulting in 26.5 acres burned across three days of the event.
This is the first time the Plumas Cal-TREX event was held over a week instead of one or two weekends, and the incident management team members said it allowed for greater development of interorganizational relationships and maximized the ability to educate the public on the beneficial role of prescribed fire while also recognizing the impact that wildfires have had on the community.
Going forward, all participants will be utilized as an on-call burning crew for the next month while there is still a burn window in Plumas County. Participants will be notified by email of burn opportunities and invited to RSVP and continue harnessing their prescribed fire skills. The team offers thanks to the many organizations and individuals that made the training possible.
For more information or to be included on the mailing list to learn about next year’s event, contact Logan Krahenbuhl at [email protected].
Information provided by Plumas Cal-TREX Incident Management Team