CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire or the District) will conduct live fire training the next two weeks in Citrus Heights on November 17, 18, 20, and 25. Neighbors around the area of Bayside Church at 6446 Sylvan Road, Citrus Heights, CA 95610 may see and smell smoke, but should not be alarmed. Those who believe there is a fire beyond the training site should report it to 911 as they normally would.

This training has been made possible by the generosity of Bayside Church, who provided buildings at the site slated for demolition to be used by Metro Fire for valuable training opportunities. Live fire training provides the only realistic conditions for firefighter training so that we can maintain our skills, proficiency, and train newer personnel in the situations we face during emergency response.

All demolition permits and clearances have been obtained from the County of Sacramento and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. Those with other questions should call (916) 859-4300 for more information.

To accommodate the Sacramento County Public Health Order pertaining to COVID-19, Metro Fire personnel will train in stable groups and maintain social distancing protocol where possible and only essential personnel will be on site. Our #1 priority is emergency service delivery; keeping our personnel safe and healthy will allow us to continue responding to your 911 calls for service.

Due to COVID-19 we will not accommodate public interest or non-credentialed media for this training event. Only verified media possessing current press identification, who make arrangements with Metro Fire’s Public Information Officer in advance will be accommodated. Those who attend without authorization will be prohibited from accessing the private property where the training is taking place. We will also post content on our social media for those in our community who are interested.

For further information and details please contact Metro Fire’s on duty PIO at (916) 859-4589.