Cal Fire adapting their wildfire training during coroanvirus pandemic

Could the coronavirus impact how our firefighters train for wildfire season?

Firefighters tell Action News Now the virus is not delaying any essential training - but they are doing it differently.

The coronavirus impact how our firefighters train for wildfire season?

Action news now reporter jafet serrato is live in chico... he talked with firefighters on how the pandemic is changing they way they do things.

Firefighters here tell me the virus is not delayin* any essential trainings - but they*ar* doing it differently.

"when these mandates came out it presented a challenge to our training staff."

Cal fire's rick carhart - is talking about how the cdc guidelines on the coronavirus is changing how firefighters are training for fire season.

(nats) carhart says calfire put trainings that require large groups on hold.

"they're not things that if a firefighter doesn't have that they can't do their job" instead firefighters are training in groups of less than 10 people.

"we're doing it relatively in the same amount of time we're just spreading things out" some examples?

- how to use a hose and how to attack a fire from inside a building.

(nats) (standup:) this is the firefighter training classroom, there could be two computers on each desk here.

But with social distancing guidelines, cal fire is putting one computer on each desk with only one chair.

Carhart says its an inconvenient but necessary change.

"well do what we need to do.

So that when they need to be out there on the engines ready to go respond to calls, they will be out there on the engines ready to go" carhart says they're taking these steps to protect some 300 firefighters so they can protect you.

Carhart tells me wildfire season begins based on weather conditions - he says last year - fire season was declared on may 20th.

In chico jafet serrato action news now coverage you can count on!

Carhart also tells action