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Leaders from AZ, Mexico meet in Tucson

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Posted 5:43 PM 6/8/2012 : Mexican firefighters trained to fight wildland fires in U.S.

TUCSON-The Arizona-Mexico commission is wrapping up their two day meeting. Over 400 people attended the summer plenary session.

The commission connects communities and acts a bridge between cross-border entities of common interest in government, education and business.

Dr. Victor Landeros, is the Emergency Services Director for Sonora. His presentation showed the importance of combining the communications systems and training, especially now during wildfire season.

Last year, during the Murphy Fire just outside Nogales on the U.S. side, Mexican firefighters were ready to help. They couldn't because they didn't have the required certification. Sixty Mexican firefighters went through the training so that they can have that same certification.

Louis Trammel heads the Emergency Services in Arizona. He says by training the Mexican firefighters, "We can integrate them into our firefighting forces in our wild land fire, so it was very successful and very beneficial to us in one way and also very beneficial to them because it gives them additional qualifications to fight their wild land fires."

In Nogales, fire departments on both sides of the fence have always worked together, evident by a hotel fire on the Mexican side three weeks ago. The ladder truck on the U.S. side was used to attack the blaze from above while their Mexican counterparts attacked it from the ground.

Trammel adds, "Those are the ones that are going to be there to protect your citizens and preserve your families the quickest."

Governors from both sides of the border also attended the meeting. 

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