Wildfire firefighters train with controlled blazes in Parks Township

The crackling sound and the odor of burning weeds were unmistakable and necessary for a training exercise for wildfire firefighters from 15 volunteer fire companies in the region Sunday in Parks Township.

These firefighters train every spring to prepare for wildfires during warm weather. Extinguishing wildfires demands a lot of specially trained firefighters to combat moving blazes over large patches of land.

“For the exercise, we train so we are unified and know each others’ strengths and equipment,” said Bryan Palmer, lead fire warden with the Whiskey Run Regional Wildfire Crew and third assistant chief with the Iselin/West Lebanon Volunteer Fire Company.

“Our sole purpose is to provide trained wildland firefighters,” he said. “As a team, we are more organized and better trained than the traditional firefighters.”

The 87 volunteer firefighters still respond to automobile accidents and structure fires.

Palmer’s group is based out of the Iselin/West Lebanon Volunteer Fire Company in Indiana County. All of the participating firefighters earned certifications in wildfire training.

The crew responded to 62 wildfires in the past two years, Palmer said. About 60 volunteers turn out for most wildfires, he noted.

The chief of the Iselin/West Lebanon company, Brian Schirato, noted the training for wildfires is more specialized than traditional training. Forest fire wardens with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources oversee the crew’s work.

Having a dedicated wildfire crew is not just practical but necessary to douse wildfires quickly, officials said Sunday.

“With people working during the week, it might take you hours to find people,” said Ken Stobert, first assistant chief with the Kiski Township Volunteer Fire Department. “Also, house fires stay there, wildfires don’t.”

Parks Township fire Chief Joel Brown Sr. added, “It’s nice to know, when you get on the radio, there will be somebody there to help you.”

On Sunday, the firefighters lined up and with hoes and shovels, digging trenches to prevent the movement of a controlled brush fire. Pumper trucks moved in as groups of firefighters took their turn practicing extinguishing the small fires on a wooded hillside off Claypool Lane.

While the techniques to extinguish wildfires are traditional, innovations such as a drone equipped with heat sensors are used by the group.

“It’s our eye in the sky,” said Jim Borkowski, a safety officer with Port Vue’s fire department who is certified by the FAA to operate the drone. Drone footage can provide critical information to firefighters when a wildfire jumps and moves, he said.

The wildfire crew is made up of members from volunteer fire departments from Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Westmoreland, Indiana, Lebanon, Cambria and Clarion counties.

For more information, visit the Whiskey Run Regional Wildfire Crew Facebook page.