Cal Fire has announced that the Amador-El Dorado Unit of Cal Fire will conduct Hand Crew Exercises in the area of Marble Valley (the Parker Development) for three days. The exercises began May 1st and include conservation crews from Pine Grove, Growlersburg, and Washington Ridge. The Conservation Camps will conduct a four-mile hike, construct hand cut fire lines and chain saw training. The exercises, will prepare hand crews for the upcoming fire season. Cal Fire is currently authorized to operate 39 Conservation Camps statewide that house nearly 4,000 inmates and wards. These camps are operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Through these cooperative efforts Cal Fire is authorized to operate 196 fire crews year-round. These crews are available to respond to all types of emergencies including wildfires, floods, search and rescue, and earthquakes. When not responding to emergencies, the crews are busy with conservation and community service work projects for state, federal, and local government agencies. Fire crews perform several million hours of work statewide each year.