‘We will see activity’: Multiple fire fighting agencies conduct simulations in Dammeron Valley

ST. GEORGE — Personnel from multiple fire fighting agencies conducted simulations and tested new vehicles Saturday morning in Dammeron Valley.

The Dammeron Valley Fire Department hosted the Utah Wildland Engine Training, Dammeron Valley, Utah, June 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Exercises were simulated in the field, focusing on quickly attacking wildland fires that interface with an urban environment.

In other words, they practiced fighting wildfires that threaten to burn homes and structures.

The training comes right as the wildfire season is expected to flare up.

Washington County Fire Warden Heber Heyder was one of several Utah fire wardens leading their crews in Saturday’s simulations, dubbed the Utah Wildland Engine Training.

“We train year round, especially in the summertime, getting ready for the wildland (fire) season, which is shaping up to be fairly busy for us down here in the low country,” Heyder told St. George News. “I think we will see activity — whether that’s more than usual remains to be seen.”

About 30 or 40 firefighters gathered in the staging area at Dammeron Valley Fire Department to get briefed before the simulations started.

Fire fighting agencies from the city, county and state level all gathered together for the simulations, preparing for large-scale operations that might have to be utilized in the future.

“Wildland-urban interface is what we’re training on today,” Heyder stated. “So structure triage, structure protection. Also to get our cooperators working together and familiar with each other and with tactics that we use in Southwest Utah.” 

Another focus at the event was to educate and familiarize fire fighters with new equipment.

“Absolutely, become familiar with new equipment they need to use, break it in, get to that point where they don’t have to think about it, just get in and use it efficiently and effectively,” Heyder noted.

Fire fighters get briefed about simulations in Dammeron Valley, Utah, June 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

After simulated emergency calls came through dispatch, engines from multiple districts rolled out from the Dammeron Valley Fire Department and dispersed to seven different sites featuring 15 different homes around the valley.

Engine teams at each site learned to evaluate the simulated threat to the structures present and determine an attack plan.

Also important was to determine the hose lays, which is the pattern of laying fire hoses around structures to facilitate maximum water flow. 

Each engine crew worked the site and then had their assessments and attack plans discussed by mentors and instructors, going over what they did or didn’t do in their simulations and what might have worked better.

Personnel were told at the briefing that there was no right or wrong way to do things, rather, the purpose of the simulation was to become everyone familiar with what will be needed in the event of an incident in the area.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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