By Mike Hazlip–
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and citizens of Citrus Heights will be seeing smoke this week as firefighters conduct a live fire training at Bayside Church.
In a press release Sunday, Metro Fire said buildings at the Bayside Church property slated for demolition will be used for the training exercise. The church is located at 6542 Sylvan Rd.
The training will take place Monday and Tuesday, July 20 and 21. The live fire portion of the training will take place in the evening hours according to the announcement.
Fire officials said residents can expect to see and smell smoke in the area of Bayside Church, but encourage anyone who suspects a fire not related to the training to call 911 as usual.
Metro Fire thanked Bayside Church for making the training possible, saying that “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.”
After the conclusion of the live-fire training, Metro Fire will also be conducting non-destructive training over the following three weeks at the site.
The announcement said precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 will be taken during the training, limiting on-site personnel to those necessary to conduct the training. Media and members of the public will not be allowed to watch the training.
All necessary permits and clearances are already in place, and nearby neighbors have been notified by mail, according to the announcement.