Residents in parts of the Comox Valley are being advised to expect an increased presence of fire crews this weekend as a regional training exercise gets underway.

The Comox Valley Regional District, along with several local fire departments, will be hosting an “Engine Boss” course on Saturday, focused on wildfire response training.

The exercise will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will involve about 15 fire department vehicles travelling through a number of areas.

Bruce Green, CVRD Regional Rural Fire Chief, says they’ll have trucks and firefighters from fire departments in Nanaimo, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Campbell River, Oyster River, Port MacNeil, Sproat Lake, Ucluelet, Parksville, and Duncan.

Crews will stage at Saratoga Speedway in the morning, before moving to the Miracle Beach Park parking lot around the lunch hour.

Fire officials say residents can expect to see emergency vehicles with lights on throughout the day, but stress that there is no active emergency.

Officials say the exercise is an important opportunity to prepare for wildfire scenarios and improve coordination between departments.

The training also serves as a reminder that with warmer spring weather arriving, residents should take precautions to help reduce the risk of fire activity.

To learn more, visit Comox Valley Regional District.