Firefighters from Across the State Join Forces to Combat 14 Active Wildfires
It's been only a few days since lightening began sparking more fires in the dry lands of Northern California. Currently, more than 1,600 firefighters from across the state are working together to contain fourteen active wildfires: eleven in Northern California and three in Southern.
It's times like this when the coordination and helping hands from other agencies comes into play. The Mutual Aid System is an extension of the concept of "neighbor helping neighbor."
"The California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System was created to provide for a systematic mobilization, organization and operation of fire resources in mitigating the effects of fires," said State Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris. "It's also there to provide comprehensive plans for the quick response of available fire services on a local, area, regional and statewide basis."
Cal OES and locally owned engines form strike teams consisting of five engines and a command vehicle. These strike teams are directed by the State Fire and Rescue Chief to the areas of need anywhere in the State.
As of Monday, August 4, 2014 the following are the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Resources assigned to contain the wildfires:
- 20 OES Strike Teams
- 57 Local Government Strike Teams
- 1648 Total Firefighters from across the state including (Shasta County Fire, San Luis Obispo City Fire, Atascadero City Fire, Chula Vista Fire, and Riverside County Fire).
- 392 Engines
- 100 from Cal OES
This system involves more than 1,000 fire service organizations throughout California that pledged to assist with mutual aid through the mobilization of shared firefighting resources. These firefighting agencies, together with Cal OES, own more than 6,000 fire engines.
The California Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan was first prepared and adopted in 1950 as Annex 3-C of the California State Civil Defense and Disaster Relief Plan. This plan has been reviewed, revised, approved, and adopted after careful consideration by the OES Fire and Rescue Branch.
- 2014 California Wildfires Snapshots – click here.
- Learn more about California's Mutual Aid – click here.
- Stay up to date with the latest on the Summer 2014 Wildfire Season by subscribing to the Cal OES Newsroom, click here.
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