Valley Regional Fire Authority emphasized regional collaboration and shared training as essential to responding to large, high‑risk incidents, Fire Chief Bridal Thompson said.

Thompson discussed VRFA’s participation in a South King County training consortium and a zone structure for King County fire services (he described South King County as Zone 3). He said joint training and common apparatus standards allow neighboring agencies to integrate on large fires and complex incidents; he cited the Heritage fire (Dec. 26, 2017) and a later downtown blaze that destroyed a jewelry store as examples where mutual aid resulted in a coordinated, “choreographed” response.

Thompson also outlined VRFA’s deployments to support large wildfires in other jurisdictions — sending brush rigs, tenders and engines to California, Oregon and Canada — to give crews red‑card experience and to prepare for potential local wildland events. He said the authority participates in regional incident‑management structures so that when large incidents occur, equipment and trained personnel can be pooled across agencies.

Ending: Thompson said the region’s long practice of shared training and mutual aid is a strategic strength that VRFA will continue to prioritize.