By ADAM LAPIERRE

News staff writer

For the last couple weeks, as Wy’east Middle School students have been attending class, studying, playing, getting smart and, of course, staying out of trouble, a wide variety of unusual vehicles, apparatuses and filthy-looking people have moved in next door.

People in green pants, mustard-yellow shirts and big black boots are everywhere.

Since the blowup of the Gnarl Ridge fire earlier this month, the Hood River County Fairgrounds in Odell has been transformed into what is known as an Incident Command Post. It is a portable city with a mobile command center, information and logistics trailers, satellites, showers, engines, pumps, supply tents, medical tents, a kitchen and cafeteria and a diverse population of firefighters from around the country camping in small round tents.

Wy’east students got a behind-the-scenes look at the fire camp and Incident Command Post Wednesday by members of the U.S. Forest service and the Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team. Officials guided groups from each grade around several different stations of the camp and explained some of the many different things that go into fighting forest fires.

“The reason for the tour was to give the students an idea of what firefighters do and what it takes to battle a fire,” said Bernie Pineda, fire information officer. “Being so close to the school provided the perfect opportunity to share what we do with the kids and to stimulate the idea to them of considering firefighting as a career in the future.”

Students visited a helicopter that landed on the soccer field and talked with firefighters who rappel from helicopters into remote wilderness fires. A local Mount Hood Fire crew from Parkdale brought an engine to the camp to demonstrate how forest fires can be fought when they are close to roads. Students visited the command trailers, where Deputy Incident Commander Pam Ensley explained some of the challenges of gathering information, making accurate fire maps, keeping track of crews, paying people and forecasting weather and fire behavior.

After a quick stop at the temporary Skittles distribution center, which was a favorite among the students, the tour continued with a visit to the supply section of camp, where everything from water pumps and chain saws to garbage bags, juice and clean fire clothes are stored and distributed when needed. The kids also got to learn about how firefighters are fed at the catering truck, how they get clean at the shower truck, how they get medical attention and how radio communications work.

“The kids are always great,” Pineda said, as he explained how fire officials try to work with kids and community members whenever possible. “They were a fun and attentive bunch of kids and it is always a pleasure for us to share how we do our jobs to the public.”