Central Zone Agencies Participate in 22nd Annual County Wildland Drill
More than 800 first responders, including many from Central Zone Agencies converged in San Marcos this week for the 22nd Annual San Diego County Wildland Preparedness Exercise. This was one of the regions largest training exercise to date.
Held from May 6–8, the three-day drill brought together local, state, tribal, and federal agencies to fine-tune wildfire response strategies ahead of peak fire season. Hosted on-site in San Marcos, the full-scale simulation recreated the intensity of a real wildfire, complete with a base camp, mobile command post, and live communications center. In addition to Central Zone fire agencies participating, dispatchers from HCFA were on hand to help out in the communications center.
Fire crews rotated through high-pressure scenarios focused on engine operations, fireground tactics, and interagency coordination—critical skills when seconds count.
Now in its 22nd year, the annual exercise is a collaborative effort led by the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association and a multi-agency incident management team.
Agencies participating included CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, California State Parks, Department of Defense, Fish and Wildlife, tribal fire departments, local law enforcement, San Diego GAS & Electric and nearly every municipal fire agency across San Diego County.
Local media was also there to cover the event including NBC 7 San Diego and CBS 8 San Diego. Their video stories are below.
Photos taken by HCFA staff during the drill.
