SAN DIEGO, (KGTV) - Over the course of three days, more than 700 firefighters will gather at Valley Center to run through the critical skills needed to prepare for the upcoming fire season.
"It's not a matter of if it's when," Fire Captain Joseph Amador, one of the annual Wildland Preparedness Exercise organizers, said.
It's three consecutive days where fire crews execute a number of tasks, from fighting simulated house fires to working on communication skills and strategic planning.
"Making mistakes or errors leaving them here on the practice field, so we can be better prepared for when the time does hit to save lives and property," Amador said.
The biggest challenge is working together with different agencies to accomplish one goal.
"Different fire departments coming together, it can be a concern of some confusion or communication errors," he said. "That's what we hope to iron out."
Training runs through Wednesday.
