Firefighting practice followed by the real thing

Red Willow Western firefighter Jeffrey Cole helps McCook High School senior Sharon Drullinger suit up in bunker gear during a junior program recruitment presentation Friday at MHS. “Juniors” are 16-18 years old and are not allowed inside “hot zones.” Firefighters also described “defensible space” around homes, the buffer a property owner can create between their structures and the combustible grass, trees, shrubs and wildland areas that surround them. The concept recommends trimming cedar trees 3-5 feet up the truck from the ground, raking up and removing dead pine needles, not piling firewood next to the house, trimming back trees that overhang structures and keeping gutters clean. “These things won’t stop a wildfire, but they may save your home,” firefighter Billie Cole said.