FEELING THE BURN INMATE CREWS LEARN A LESSON FROM REAL FIRES.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Darvish Staff Writer CASTAIC - Inmate crews trained to fight brush fires while serving their sentences got some heated practice Monday at Pitchess Detention Center A detention center or a detention centre is any location used for detention. Specifically, it can mean:
Four inmate crews - 14 men per crew - from the California Department of Corrections' Camp 11 in Acton participated in the training exercise, alongside a civilian crew from Camp 12, located at Pitchess. The full-dress and equipment exercise was the first of a weeklong drill designed to sharpen the crews' skills in a realistic setting. ``They're getting some smoke in their face, they're feeling the heat from the fire,'' said county fire Capt. Darryl Coe, superintendent of Camp 12. ``All the (classroom instruction) in the world doesn't get you ready for fire season like working on an actual fire.'' The civilian crew is composed of full-time employees from the Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La , many of whom are aspiring firefighters. The hand crews are often the first to respond to wildfires and are responsible for cutting fire lines using hand tools. Coe said there is a big misconception mis·con·cep·tion n. A mistaken thought, idea, or notion; a misunderstanding: had many misconceptions about the new tax program. that months of heavy rains - like the near-record rainfall experienced in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in recent months - translate to a minimal danger level as temperatures heat up. To illustrate his point, Coe motioned toward the tinder-dry foxtail, red broom and other grasses that a civilian crew member was igniting for the next inmate crew. ``You see how quick that fuel (ignites),'' he said. ``Those flames get pretty high, pretty fast, and we got plenty of rain.'' Coe described the brush used for Monday's fire drills as ``light fuel,'' adding that thicker brush and vegetation will be used for training as the week progresses. The wind provided an added touch of realism Monday as it occasionally kicked up and forced the crews to retreat from cutting the lines until the wind shifted again, just as they would in a real fire. Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County fire crews work with inmate crews Monday training on controlled burns near Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² . (2 -- 3 -- color) Determined fire crews, above, are dwarfed by billows of smoke, right, rising from controlled fires near the I-5 Monday. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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