Setting fires on dry grass is pretty darn dangerous.
So that's why the roughly 120 firefighters and police officers in Santa Clara County practiced wildfire exercises in a sandbox in Sanborn County Park. Instead of real equipment, they used Matchbox cars (no pun intended) and toy helicopters, carrying medicine cups full of water.
The goal of the exercise was to contain the tiny fire before it burned the homes at the top of the hill.
CalFire Battalion Chief Nick Ciardella said “it acts just like a live fire. With the ability with the Matchbox cars and the eye droppers it really simulates the actual production rates we have with our engine companies.”
He added, “It’s a great communication exercise. It’s a great tactic to use especially this time of year with the drought.”
The exercise used less than a gallon of water - a notable savings during California's drought - compared to the thousands that would have been used if it were on real land.
The firefighters also practiced how to dig fire protection lines, how to lay hose lines and how to protect structures from an impending fire.
