Five Californians Among 19 Fallen Prescott AZ Hotshots #Prescott19

Monday, July 8, 2013

Five Californians Among 19 Fallen Prescott AZ Hotshots #Prescott19

The California fire service is mourning the loss of 19 of the profession’s best and brightest who fell Sunday in Arizona. But for some, the pain is intensely personal.

Five California natives were among the Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who died in a catastrophic burn over of the Yarnell Hills Fire in central Arizona.

Kevin Woyjeck, 21, was the son of 30-year veteran LA County Fire Captain Joe Woyjeck. Brother Woyjeck’s fellow L.A. County firefighters say Kevin was a regular with station visits and ride-alongs, and always sought to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Chris MacKenzie, 30, grew up in Hemet and, like Woyjeck, sought to follow in his dad’s footsteps. His father was retired CAL FIRE Captain Michael MacKenzie. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service before joining the Prescott Hotshots.
Billy Warneke, 25, also grew up in Hemet and served four years in the Marine Corps, including a tour of duty in Iraq. He joined the Hotshot crew only a few months ago, and he and his wife Roxanne were expecting their first child in December.
Sean Misner, 26, was also expecting a child in the fall. Misner grew up in Santa Ynez, in Santa Barbara County. He was a standout athlete, and was remembered as a determined team player.
Grant McKee, 21, was from Orange County and attended Newport Harbor High School until 11th grade. McKee got the job with the Hotshots through his cousin, Robert Caldwell, who also died in the Yarnell Hills Fire.

Governor Jerry Brown has ordered that the flags at the State Capitol be flown at half-mast to honor not only the four Californians but all 19 of those who died.

“This tragedy reminds us once again of the courage our public safety workers bring to the job every day, and the sacrifices they often have to make to keep the rest of us safe,” Brown said in a statement last night.

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CFN - California Fire News 2013

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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.

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CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Monday, July 8, 2013