Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire Fighter Training

Airport Fire Fighter Training will send black clouds of smoke over the Casper-Natrona County Airport later this week.

Thursday and Friday crews from around Wyoming and Nebraska will be involved in the mandatory exercises.

Mike Hendershot, public safety chief says airport firefighter training is different because of the large amounts of jet fuel that can be involved.

"What we have is a mock aircraft that's inside the pit and we start the fire up around this mock aircraft and then they have to put out the fire."

Hendershot says all airports serving commercial aircraft are required to go through a live burn exercise every year. He says Casper's training pit is the only facility in the region that uses hydrocarbon or diesel fuel making it more realistic.

Those exercises are scheduled for all day Thursday through to noon on Friday.