Only a drill: Petaluma crews train for wildfire

Burning automotive fuel dripped slowly from the specialized dispenser wielded by Petaluma Firefighter Alec Mederos as he walked along the grassy berm, trailing drops of fiery diesel that quickly blossomed into large, coiling clouds of flame.

Nearby members of the Petaluma Fire Department stood ready with hose in hand, but waited as the flames grew in size and intensity. Fire billowed upward in moments, fueled by the sort of bone-dry grasses that have helped feed the voracious wildfires of a drought-stricken California in recent years.

At a location not far from the busy Lakeville Highway, firefighters let fly, directing sprays of water while adding sections of hose in a choreographed maneuver known as a progressive hose lay. The ground sizzled as the flames retreated, prompting Mederos to once again trail flames through the brush under a hot summer sun.

In a rare occurrence within city limits, the Petaluma Fire Department spent last Friday honing its wildland firefighting skills in a live-fire exercise at the wetlands near the city’s Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility.

It was the first time in recent memory that such an exercise has been possible in Petaluma, rather than training outside of city limits, said Jude Prokop, fire captain, an opportunity to train a trio of new recruits and for veterans to brush up on their skills.

“They need training with live fire. In the past we’ve done it with other organizations, and this is the first time we’ve found a place we can do it without too much environmental damage,” he said.

All Petaluma firefighters on duty that day were scheduled to cycle through for the training, where Mederos and fellow Petaluma Firefighter Kevin Burris, both formerly of the state rural firefighting agency CalFire, were heading the drill.

Burris explained that firefighters had a variety of concerns to keep in mind while advancing toward flames in a remote area. Limited water supplies meant stingy suppression was often necessary, required firefighters to manage the volume of spray through a rotating control.

Firefighters also had to manage the hose behind them, which reached 1,000 feet in the recent training, he said.

“If they let the fire come up behind them, it can burst the hose,” he noted.

While primarily focused on fires and medical calls in Petaluma, members of the Petaluma Fire Department are also called on from time to time to join other agencies in battling brush fires in the surrounding area. Petaluma firefighters also regularly take part in the massive efforts to battle the larger wildfires that occur throughout the state, complex operations that often occur over rough terrain.

The Petaluma Fire Department hosted CalFire and a number of surrounding firefighting agencies for a training last year at a grassy area off Hayes Lane, yet performed the exercise without the use of actual flames. The hilltop location was too close to structures, and was extremely dry as a result of the drought.

The location near Ellis Creek, meanwhile, was considered relatively ideal for a controlled burn, reflecting the extra growth from late seasonal rains that was likely elsewhere in the state, Mederos said.

Mederos said he was being careful to start the burn from the top of the berm and work his way down over several passes, a strategy that would allow the department to get a few shots at the area before the fuel ran dry.

“Hopefully this will be a recurring thing,” he said of the new location.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)