Sacramento, CA. – Every year California is plagued by wildfires that char hundreds of thousands of acres, destroy countless homes and wreak havoc on communities. To ensure every available resource is used to battle major fire sieges, CAL FIRE and the California National Guard train together each year to provide additional staffing and resources on the frontlines.

The annual California Interagency Military Helicopter Fire Fighting Program training will be held Friday, April 15 to Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the CAL FIRE Academy in Ione and at Lake Pardee in Amador County. During the training CAL FIRE instructs National Guard helicopter pilots and crewmembers in basic incident management and firefighting operations, so they can safely assist CAL FIRE during major fire sieges like those California faced in 2007 and 2008.

“CAL FIRE has the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world with just over 50 fixed and rotary wing aircraft,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting director of CAL FIRE. “But when major firestorms occur we need every available resource to assist us and that is why it is so important we train with the National Guard now, so they can bolster our air response when those sieges happen.”

“The wildfires have emerged as one of our greatest domestic missions in recent years, so this training is invaluable in ensuring we face that challenge successfully,” said Maj. Thomas Keegan, public affairs officer for the California National Guard. “Our longstanding partnership with CalEMA, CAL FIRE, and other first responders has only improved the effectiveness of our organizations.”

Since 1995, CAL FIRE and the California National Guard have conducted joint training prior to the beginning of annual peak wildfire activity.