THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — If you see helicopters, smoke, firefighters, and equipment in the Capitol State Forest near Olympia Wednesday afternoon, don’t be concerned. It’s only a drill.
To prepare for wildfire season, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will do two exercises. The first one is on Wednesday, Mar. 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. The second drill will be on Apr. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m.
The training area will be above the C-Line, near the Greenline Trail. The area will have road guards at the C-7300 junction. View a map of the area [PDF].
Depending on how much wind there is, the public may see colored smoke at times, ranging from small plumes to drifting smoke and light haze.
DNR firefighters will use a variety of equipment and crews will coordinate the drill area and deal with roadblocks.
Four helicopters will be overhead to drop water during the drill, along with a Kodiak 100 airplane.