Peoria fire crews trained to battle structure fires as well as wildfires

Peoria Fire crews help fight wildfires around Arizona and U.S.

Officials with the West Valley fire department say all of their crews are trained to battle structural and wildfires, and some have even more extensive training. FOX 10's Desiree Fluellen reports.

PEORIA, Ariz. - It has already been a busy wildfire season in our state, and when wildfires happen across Arizona, local departments have crews that are specially trained and ready to help.

In Peoria, all of the firefighters with the city's Fire and Medical Department are trained to do so.

"All of our fire personnel on the trucks are specially trained in wildland fire fighting," said Cpt. Douglas Corrie with the Peoria Fire and Medical Department.

All Peoria firefighters are trained to fight structural and wildland fires. On top of that, some of them have even more extensive training and skill.

"We also have a team, a special team of 35 members that have this extra training that can go out and not only serve our citizens in the fires that we have in the City of Peoria once our fire season dies down. We're able to go out and help mostly the Western states with their needs and go out and help fires in other cities and states," said Cpt. Corrie.

Response and approach is different when fighting a structural fire versus a wildland fire.

"For a structure fire, we go inside of a building. We're wearing equipment that is really heavy and thick. It's three layers, and we bring our own air," said Cpt. Corrie. "a brush fire will last anywhere from two to six hours, so the gear we wear on a brush fire, a single layer, is still flame resistant."

What they drive is also different. For example, a tanker truck carries about 3,000 gallons of water, and it can go off road to some degree. This truck has even more capability, and carries just a few hundred gallons of water."

"The type of hose we use in the wildland is kind of thin, and it's only like an inch size, but it puts out a specific amount of water, but also the apparatus we use, they're mostly four-wheel-drive light and nimble," said Cpt. Corrie.