Amador County – This week a group of French firefighters will be touring the facilities of the California Department of Fire Protection and Northern California as part of their graduate training.

Teri Mizuhara, Fire Prevention Specialist with Cal Fire said 37 fire fighters from the French “National School of Superior Fire Officers” will be in California starting Monday, and visit through April 12. The French instructors and graduates are members of the 72nd French Academy for Fire, Rescue and Civil Protection Officers. The instructors and graduates will arrive in San Francisco to tour various Cal Fire locations throughout Northern California and observe their operations.

Each class from the French Fire Academy has the opportunity for further study once they have graduated, Mizuhara said. “This group decided to come to the United States to exchange ideas, information and technology with Cal Fire personnel” regarding “All Hazard” emergency service techniques.

Members of Cal Fire Incident Command Team 5 will greet the group upon their arrival in San Francisco, Mizuhara said. Their visit begins with a tour in the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. They will receive instruction on the department’s Fire Prevention Program, Cooperative Fire Protection Services, and Hand Crew and Dozer operations. Mizuhara said this should “be of special interest to our French guests as they do not utilize these resources during their fire incidents.”

The group will then travel to the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit, which will escort them on a tour of the State Capitol and the Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial and a meeting with Cal Fire Acting Director Ken Pimlott. Mizuhara said while they are in the Amador Unit area, the French fire fighters will also tour the scene of the Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe where 3,100 acres and 309 homes were destroyed in 2007.

The group will visit McClelland Air Base and be introduced to Cal Fire’s Air Program. Mizuhara said “given that France uses many air resources as a response to their wildland fire incidents, they are sure to have a multitude of questions.” The day will come to an end with a visit to Cal EMA.

The group will also visit the Butte Unit, which will provide a review of a Vegetation Management Plan burn and a hazardous material incident. The Butte Unit will also give a demonstration of a high angle-low angle rescue technique. A trip to Cal Fire’s Northern Operations Center in Redding will conclude the visit.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.