The Nevada Division of Forestry, or NDF, fights wildfires in our area.
But they'll have to call for backup if a blaze gets out of hand. To get ahead of the curve, NDF trained over two dozen Nevada Army National Guard soldiers to step in and fight fires.
"We all know that wildfires can get very big. they're very taxing on resources. and so having them kind of in our back pocket is someone that we can use really helps make our jobs a little bit easier," said Brian Panelli with NDF.
This is the fifth year Nevada Army Guard soldiers have learned to fight fires.
Saturday marked the third and final day of the training. The first two days mostly consisted of in-class work.
Captain Jason James is going through the training for the first time.
"It's really gone ahead and highlighted a few things that people like me who've never gone through the training before until this weekend really don't think about," James said. "You don't think about keeping track of how fast the wind is going, what directions it's coming from, the topology of a certain area or terrain and how it can affect a fire."
Sergeant Skyler Lujan is back for a refresher.
Shortly after training, he turned around and fought the Davis Fire.
He said fighting the 58-hundred-acre fire gave him a love for firefighting.
"I mean, Army and firefighting, they have similar aspects, camaraderie etc.," Lujan said. "But it's just a good time. I really enjoy it. You get to be outdoors and hike around and stay in shape. That's fun."
Soldiers started off by loading up into a crew buggy. Five minutes later, they arrived on scene.
It was a race to dig a fire line to stop the simulated blaze. Soldiers had to be extra careful not to leave vegetation in the fire break.
But the fire moved quickly, so hunkering down became the only option.
They tossed their gear to the side, put their shelters on, and waited until another firefighter said the coast was clear.
Then the soldiers and instructors regrouped and reflected on the opportunity.
"Being in the Army National Guard, we get many opportunities like this," Lujan said, "and having this opportunity and being able to come out here and do this, it really widens my spectrum on how I view the world. And so, I'm grateful for it."
Alin Beane has more on what they learned.
