FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire or the District) will conduct live fire training the next two days in Fair Oaks on April 6 (Tuesday) and April 7 (Wednesday).  Neighbors around the area of 8573 Phoenix Avenue, Fair Oaks, CA 95628 may see and smell smoke, but should not be alarmed.  Those who believe there is a fire beyond the training site should report it to 911 as they normally would, or if they believe a fire has occurred beyond the approximate training hours of 10 am until 3 pm.

The focus of this training will be interior fire operations.  This means the training will occur on the inside the building where firefighters will focus on confining the fire to the room of origin and practice searching for victims. 

This training has been made possible by the generosity of the property owner, who provided this home which was previously slated for demolition, to be used by Metro Fire for valuable training opportunities. Live fire training provides the only realistic conditions for firefighter training so that we can maintain our skills, proficiency, and train newer personnel in the situations we face during emergency response.  

All demolition permits and clearances have been obtained from the County of Sacramento and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.  Residents received a mailer with a notice of the training in the last few days.  Those with other questions should call (916) 859-4300 for more information.  

To accommodate the Sacramento County Public Health Order pertaining to COVID-19, Metro Fire personnel will train in stable groups and maintain social distancing protocol where possible and only essential personnel will be on site.  Our #1 priority is emergency service delivery; keeping our personnel safe and healthy will allow us to continue responding to your 911 calls for service. 

Although this training begins tomorrow, we are unable to accommodate media requests until Wednesday.  Due to COVID-19, we will only accommodate verified and credentialed media with professional accreditation who contact and make an appointment with Metro Fire’s Public Information Office.  Those who attend without authorization will be prohibited from accessing the private property where the training is taking place.  Content will be posted on our social media for those in our community who are interested.

For further information and details please contact Metro Fire’s on duty PIO at (916) 859-4589.