Live fire drills preparing soon-to-be Santa Barbara County firefighters for real emergencies

LOMPOC, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is holding a series of live fire drills this week during the final few days of a training program for a group of firefighter recruits.

On Thursday, recruits are completing a two-day training session at the Public Safety Training Complex on the Allan Hancock College Lompoc Valley Center.

The drills in Lompoc follows a one-day training session on Monday at the nearby Burton Mesa Training Center.

All of the training is part of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department's Firefighter Recruit Academy, a rigorous 20-week course that teaches recruits required firefighting and life-saving skills.

The Firefighter Recruit Academy currently has 17 recruits, which are firefighters who have been hired by department, but must complete a required training program in order to officially begin work with the department.

Graduation for the recruits will take place later this month.

Following graduation ceremonies, the recruits will begin their new positions on probation status at various stations within the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.