The Groom Creek area south of Prescott will be the site of the annual multi-agency basin operation this Friday and Saturday.
The drill will involve the Prescott National Forest, Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, City of Prescott Fire, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Bureau of Land Management and many other emergency response agencies. The annual basin operations drill provides participants an opportunity to train together and test communication systems and equipment in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season.
For training purposes, fire managers will ignite three to six small fires over the two days pending favorable weather conditions. Smoke will be visible in the immediate areas of the burn activity, including portions of Forest Road 79, Forest Road 80, Senator Highway, and Whispering Pines Camp.
In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire burn units as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area.