Firefighters to train for upcoming fire season at Pathfinder Park

PUEBLO, Colo., April 14, 2025 — From April 28 to May 2, more than 100 firefighters from the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands are gathering in Cañon City to prepare for this year’s fire season. The annual critical fire training will take place at Pathfinder Park. An increase of fire personnel and equipment is expected throughout the community.

This critical fire training is comprehensive, covering everything from equipment checks to fire prevention education. Here is a breakdown of some of the essential training we will cover:

• Equipment checklist. This exercise ensures firefighters have the necessary gear in proper working order, such as fire hoses, personal protective equipment and communication devices.
• Fire management plans. Firefighters will review protocols for containing and extinguishing wildfires.
• Hand crew preparedness. These exercises train and condition firefighters.
• Dispatch procedures. Firefighters will learn how to deploy when a wildfire happens and how resource needs changes as a wildfire grows.
• Fire prevention education. Firefighters will learn how to communicate with and involve the public about wildfire prevention, as well as how to protect the ignition point of origin for fire investigators.
• Communications. This ensures firefighters can effectively communicate with one another and with the command center during a wildfire, including how to use a radio.
• Advanced chainsaw workshop. This trains firefighters on the safe and effective use of chainsaws in difficult scenarios.

Wildland firefighters play a vital role in keeping communities and ecosystems safe. These dedicated individuals come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of skills to the table.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the United States, of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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