CALEMA: Governor Brown Directs Additional Firefighting Resources to Wildfires

Friday, July 13, 2012

CALEMA: Governor Brown Directs Additional Firefighting Resources to Wildfires

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 13, 2012 – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. directed additional state resources deployed to assist in fighting wildfires burning throughout northern California.

A highly trained CAL FIRE Incident Management Team is now coordinating the attack on the 1,157 acre “Robbers Fire” in Placer County. The wildfire is burning three miles northwest of the community of Foresthill and was only 10% contained as of Friday morning. Officials say 150 residences are threatened and 1,368 personnel are assigned to try and get the upper hand on the fire.

"We've had a brief reprieve from large fire activity the last two years," said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of CAL FIRE. "But the exceptionally dry winter has set the stage for a more active fire season this year and we're seeing fire activity now that we would typically not see until late August."

Governor Brown also directed the California National Guard to activate five specially equipped UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and trained guard personnel to assist state and local firefighters as well as emergency management and mutual aid resources available through the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA).

"The California Military Department is supporting CAL FIRE and CAL EMA to provide critical resources and personnel to protect the residents affected by these wildfires," said Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, Adjutant General, California Military Department. "We are prepared to provide additional support and stand ready wherever and whenever we are needed," he said.

Significant fires are burning in three northern California counties – Placer, Trinity and Coulsa Counties and have burned over 30,630 acres, destroyed at least 5 structures and displaced hundreds of residents.

Cal EMA has deployed 23 mutual aid strike teams comprised of firefighting equipment and personnel from around the region. A total of 150 engines and approximately 469 personnel are deployed as a part of these state-coordinated strike teams. They join hundreds more local firefighters in impacted areas.

“Our hearts go out to those impacted by these wildfires,” said Secretary Mark Ghilarducci of the California Emergency Management Agency. “We know how important it is to have a quick, coordinated response to these disasters and that’s what our team has been focused on around the clock,” he said. “We’re working closely with the other agencies and keeping a close eye on the rest of the state as the hot weather and winds pose additional challenges.”

Ghilarducci stressed that residents near these wildfires should pay close attention to information and direction from local authorities in case additional evacuations are necessary.

CAL FIRE http://www.fire.ca.gov/
California Emergency Management Agency http://www.calema.ca.gov
California Air National Guard http://www.calguard.ca.gov/air/Pages/default.aspx
CAL FIRE Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS)http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/fire_protection_air_program_maffs.php

California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Friday, July 13, 2012