The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control with several other agencies and the Colorado Army National Guard will begin annual training next Friday in preparation of this upcoming wildfire season.

The annual training is conducted by Boulder Fire Rescue, the City of Longmont, the U.S. Forest Service, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Army National Guard will conduct helicopter-based fire suppression and virtual classroom training from April 9 through April 18 near Longmont. 

“This training is an integral part of our overall domestic response training,” said CANG Director of Aviation and Safety Col. Will Gentle in a release.

“We will use this exercise to qualify and validate our aircrews to ensure they are ready to respond to woodland fires. Integrating aircrews with ground personnel adds a dynamic and complex layer of realism.”

In addition to the helicopter and virtual classroom training, there will be additional training at the Army Aviation Support Facility, Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora.

Officials said they have been preparing for this larger training and have all of the needed COVID-19 protocols in place to keep everyone safe. 

But ultimately, the goal is to be prepared for this upcoming wildfire season.

“Wildfire knows no boundaries; it does not recognize jurisdictional responsibilities,” said DFPC Director Mike Morgan. 

“A single wildfire often crosses private, county, state, tribal and federal lands and threatens communities across all landscapes, so this type of interagency training with both our community and military partners to suppress woodland fires ensures unity of effort and speed of response.”