SALT LAKE CITY-Months ahead of fire season in Utah, COVID-19 is already impacting fire crews.

Wildland firefighters will be comprised of smaller teams because of Centers of Disease Control policies that disallow gatherings of 10 or more people until further notice.

In-person training will be conducted at three different locations for hand crews, engines and in-county response teams.

Fire camps are the places where the wildland firefighters get their supplies, food, water, daily briefing and sleep at night.

Utah Wildfire Info confirms that residents can assist meager crews by creating a 30-foot defensible space around your home.

UWI also requests Utahns do the following:

-don’t give the embers an entrance. Repair/replace shingles or tiles on the roof. Caulk any gaps or openings on roof edges. If replacing the roof, do not use wood shingles.

-cover exterior attic vents and under-eave and soffits with metal wire mesh no longer than 1/8″ to prevent embers entering.

-clear debris, equipment, storage from under decks.

-instead of mulch, use noncombustible items like stone, gravel or wood chips (although combustible, it will not sustain a high-risk fire).