Don't be alarmed by smoke, sirens and helicopters around the San Ramon Valley next week, it's just part of the Fire District's Wildland 2010 Training Exercise to prepare personnel for fire season in the hot summer months.

Fires will blaze Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Camp Parks Reserve Base in Dublin and near the Dougherty Valley and Windemere areas of San Ramon.

Some controlled burns and other preparations will start Tuesday, and the exercise, which includes extinguishing grass fires in designated areas, will take place the following two days.

More than 300 emergency personnel from the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District and other jurisdictions will be deployed to fight the fires.

The goal is to safely train and prepare emergency personnel for many aspects of wildland firefighting and "does not present a threat to homes in the area," said Natalie Kurtz, spokesperson for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.

"Within designated and controlled areas, firefighters are not only significantly reducing dry vegetation and grasses but they are practicing the proper use of tools, equipment and firefighting apparatus," said Kurtz.

Firefighters aren't the only personnel who benefit from the training, according to Aisha Knowles, public information officer for the Alameda County Fire Department, another participant.

"It also allows supervisors the opportunity to practice managing large scale emergencies that involve multiple jurisdictions and disciplines," Knowles said.

Two years after the devastating Oakland Hills Firestorm of 1991, which destroyed hundreds of homes, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District partnered with Alameda County Fire, Contra Costa County Fire and other agencies throughout the Bay Area to share resources for the first training exercise.

"It also becomes a great opportunity to interface with other agencies," Kurtz said.

Noise disturbances should be limited to helicopters overhead and fire engines driving by, said Kurtz, adding that residents should keep windows and doors closed and shut off air conditioning systems if smoke reaches their homes.

Door hanger notices will be distributed to homes near the training grounds. Information will be available on Facebook and periodic updates will be posted on Twitter during the training.

"We have received calls form concerned community members in the past and that's why this year we're making an additional effort to provide information to each individual home in the community where they might directly see or smell smoke," Knowles said.