More than 550 firefighters from 15 states will be in Jefferson City this week for the annual Summer Fire School presented by the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute.
Most of the firefighters are from volunteer departments and come from as far away as Alaska, said Tracy Gray, special program assistant.
Classes and outdoor training will take place Wednesday through Sunday.
"This year, we worked with Oklahoma State University to get a semi-trailer that simulates fire situations that could lead to fatalities," Gray said. "It's a piece of equipment that can help train firefighters to recognize signs of when they need to get out of a dangerous fire situation."
Gray said they will also be doing boat rescue training on the Missouri River. Putting in at the Noren Access, firefighters will get hands-on access to training on how to react in swift water conditions. Those will continue into Friday night.
"We'll also be doing confined space training, something we haven't done in a while," Gray said. "That's designed for getting to people working in areas that have to crawl through small openings, like utility workers, and can't self extricate themselves."
Gray said they will also be doing wild land fire training in the Williamsburg area, working on chainsaw techniques for those firefighters who need recertification. They also work on fighting fires that go up to property lines like we've seen on the West Coast.
"Our classroom area will at Lincoln University, but with the exception of the boat rescue training on the river, all other training activities will take place at the Jefferson City Fire Department Training Center at Hyde Park," Gray said. "The public is welcome to come out and watch, including on Saturday when we have our aircraft fire training simulator. We just ask that they stay in safety areas if they come out."