VIDEO: Firefighters came all the way from Knoxville, Tennessee to learn more about wildland fires. The 3-team crew got here on Monday and will be here until September 9. Right now, Rural Metro Fire is teaching them wildland suppression tactics used to fight Oregon wildfires.
One technique they are learning is how to get 400 feet of hose on the ground with as little as just two or three people working. Austin Prince, Division Chief Rural Metro Fire, said, "This technique is one they haven't used in Tennessee before. So we're demonstratin certain hose configurations, the way they're loaded into certain bags we use and how they're deployed."
The Knoxville Rural Metro Fire captain, Brad Retting, said they're working to build a natural hazards team in order to expand their knowledge when responding to things like flooding, fires and tornadoes.
Retting said, "We have a team of 21 firefighters that are becoming certified in different disciplines that would help in those events."