South Jordan firefighters have helped answer the call of a neighboring state in need. The city’s fire department sent a crew of four personnel and one engine to help fight the fires ravaging Southern California. They joined other Utah agencies in sending 70 personnel total in 15 fire engines. Utah crews departed Jan. 9 from the Maverik Center and are expected to fulfill an initial 14-day commitment. They’ll be gone 17-18 days total including travel time. 

Units from Sandy, Murray, Draper, West Jordan, West Valley City, Salt Lake City and Unified Fire all sent crews
and resources. 

“This is something we train for, it’s part of our job, so they were excited to be able to go and use their expertise to support those efforts. But they also understand that is one of those, we hope, once-in-a-lifetime events that has caused so much devastation and destruction. They knew they were going into an area they wouldn’t have seen before and probably experience some feelings they haven’t felt before,” Draper Fire Chief Clint
Smith said. 

Draper’s crew traveled in one of the city’s Type 3 engines rather than the Type 1 fire engine typically seen around town. Type 1 engines are larger and carry more water and hose. “The Type 3 engine is more agile, reduced in equipment, but specifically suited for wildland/urban interface fire,” Smith said. 

The crew overnighted Thursday in Victorville, California and spent the first half of Friday going through CalFire’s vehicle inspection and check-in process. Then they drove three hours to their assignment, the Palisades fire. 

“They were deployed as soon as they got there to do structure protection and assessments. They saw a lot of erratic fire behavior from where they were stationed that first night. The amount of devastation is hard to comprehend, but they have conveyed to us how grateful the residents are to know that we would send resources and that they are there working to assist them. They have been treated tremendously by the residents because our crews are there to help them in their time of need,” Smith said. The crew worked 40 hours straight until 10 p.m. Saturday at which point they rested.

Smith said they’ll be actively firefighting if the winds pick up and the situation worsens, otherwise they will be working to fortify fire breaks and fire lines to make sure hot embers can be held, all in an effort to stop the fire from growing or jumping containment lines. If fire lines can be held, crews will transition into “mopping up and rendering areas safe for residents to go back in at some point to see the damage and hopefully find something remaining in their respective homes,” Smith said. 

As the 14-day initial commitment draws to a close, California officials will reassess to determine whether more crews are needed. “We’ll have to see what that fire behavior does. If California continues to need that help, we are prepared to do a crew swap,” Smith said. 

“We typically deploy for seven to 16 day tours,” said Joseph Mittelman, Murray Fire chief. “Most of the time it’s the full 16-day period.” 

Mittelman said the receiving location decides how long they need outside help and resources. For Murray City Fire Department, Mittelman said those deployed outside of Salt Lake County are off-duty crews only using equipment that isn’t normally on the front line. Mittelman said that can be equipment that’s normally used when a front-line engine needs an oil change or other maintenance. 

The California Office of Emergency Services sent an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to the DPS’s Division of Emergency Management (DEM), requesting strike teams and task forces. 

EMAC is used to facilitate assistance between states during state-declared emergencies. Utah crews could be out in California for at least 14 days, with “a possibility of extension dependent on expected fire behavior and weather conditions,” a press release from DPS and DNR said. 

If there’s one upside to sending a crew to help others in a time of total devastation, Smith said it’s the learning experience that may prove useful in Utah at some point. “It’s not ideal for us to have to deploy for these types of incidents, but the one thing we’ve always said is these give us great learning opportunities. It’s unfortunate that this is happening to those people in California, but it gives us an opportunity to send our people and gain experience. It allows us to bring that knowledge and training back and implement it for the benefit of our residents,” Smith said.

Smith, whose department lost Matt Burchett on a California wildfire deployment several years ago, said he offers this advice to his crew at their departure. “My words to them are always go and represent your department and your families well, represent your training well, but most of all, take care of each other.” λ