Nearly 300 firefighters will converge today and Saturday in Dolores as they take part in the Tri-State Firemens Association Annual Convention.
Firefighters from 15 fire departments across Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico will take part in the convention.
They will take classes to learn about the latest in fire fighting techniques and technology and they will play games that test physical fitness and fire fighting knowledge.
The last time we hosted (the convention) was 32 years ago, said Dolores Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Zion.
Firefighters began arriving Thursday for the chiefs meeting and dinner Thursday night. The main portion of the convention started this morning with registration and firefighters breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
The firefighters will have trainings and classes in the morning and will begin contests at 1 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. The contests will be at the Dolores Fire Station in Dolores and Zion said the public is welcome to watch.
Zion said there will be water fights, firefighters will lay out and roll hose and see who is the fastest. They will also compete at who can knock down targets with a fire hose in a rather wet competition.
In the morning, classes will range from how to extricate an accident victim from a hybrid car to dealing helicopters.
A helicopter will be here, Zion said. The hybrid cars have the big battery and you dont want to cut into the power cable.
When it comes to vehicle extrication, Zion said it is important to keep up with technology and to know where cables and air bags are.
The Dolores Fire Department will also offer a class on their tanker shuttle and the Mancos firefighters will give a presentation on the Weber Fire.
We are pretty well known for our tanker shuttle, Zion said.
Zion said the big water fight between firefighters will be on Saturday around 4 p.m.