By Evonne Coutros, The Record Staff Writer

Israeli firefighters who trained at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah are battling wildfires in their homeland this week that have killed at least 41 people and forced hundreds of families from their homes.

Eleven firefighters trained at the institute in September 2009 under a program sponsored by the UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey and its Partnership 2000 initiative. Working with Bergen firefighters, they formed close ties.

Those Bergen firefighters are now tracking their Israeli friends in Nahariya and its environs through texting, e-mail and social media.

Read full article at northjersey.com website.