Firefighters from the North Tooele Fire District recently returned from a short deployment in Oregon and California, where they aided firefighters in fighting three wildfires.
Five firefighters, a brush truck, and a water tender left the station on July 21. Firefighters from the NTFD are a part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a smaller group within the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which allows fire departments to request resources and help from neighboring states and communities and, in return, offer help themselves if neighboring departments are in need of assistance. Through EMAC, a Utah task force was put together, consisting of 12 fire agencies in the state enrolled in the program, according to Jon Smith, North Tooele Fire District’s public information officer.
Firefighters from all 12 agencies were deployed together, and their first stop was Spray, Oregon, where they fought the Boneyard Fire, which was started by lightning and burned more than 49,000 acres. Firefighters were there for about three days. Then, they traveled to Gilliam County, where they aided in fighting the Lone Rock Fire. The fire has burned over 20,000 acres. NTFD firefighters stayed there for several days.
Lastly, firefighters traveled to Chico, California, where they fought the Park Fire. The Park Fire is still active at 82% containment and has burned approximately 429,603 acres. It is the largest wildfire in the country, Smith said.
During their deployment, firefighters from NTFD worked on aggressive, active firefighting, participated in controlled burns, used hand tools and heavy machinery to clear vegetation, created fire breaks, and protected structures and covered trees that cannot be removed due to ecological or historical purposes.
One firefighter returned home early because of an injury, and another was sent out during the deployment to take his place. The rest of the firefighters returned home on August 9.
“We are really proud of our firefighters,” Smith said.
In the past, firefighters from NTFD have traveled to Kentucky, Washington, New Mexico, and Texas to offer aid to other departments. EMAC deployments typically last 14 to 21 days, with the option to extend the deployment an additional seven days.
“People ask us why we send our firefighters out like this when there are plenty of fires to fight here,” Smith said. “In some of these areas, the worst part of their fire season hits before ours. This gives our firefighters a chance to further their skills in an environment where they may not have the opportunity to work here in Utah. This is also a mutual aid agreement. We are happy to share our resources and help our neighbors when they’re in need, and they will do the same for us if that time comes. We could see a large-scale fire like that and have to call in an EMAC of our own.”
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