SACRAMENTO, Calif. – At the request of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the California National Guard has mobilized about 390 Soldiers to train as ground firefighting hand crews in response to the growing number of wildfires across the state.
Assigned by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the Cal Guard soldiers arrived at Camp Roberts near Paso Robles on Monday to begin four days of training led by CAL FIRE instructors that will supplement the emergency-response training Cal Guard members receive throughout the year.
"Wildfires are at the heart of the Cal Guard emergency-response mission, which is why we train so closely with CAL FIRE and Cal OES throughout the year," said Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, adjutant general of the California National Guard. "Whether it's our hand crews on the ground or our aircraft above, we're fully equipped and trained to support our civilian partner agencies throughout the wildfire season."
When deployed to fight fires, the hand crews will work to create fire breaks — gaps in vegetation that act as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a fire — and to mop up hot spots and small blazes that remain after a large fire has passed through an area.
In 2015, more than 1,000 Cal Guard hand crews worked 14 fires and cleared more than 75,000 miles of terrain.
"Our California National Guard partners are supplying these critical resources at a time when new fire starts are increasing and large fire activity continues to grow," said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director.
The fire fight, as usual, will be conducted from the air as well.
On Tuesday, the 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne Regional Airport, Wyoming, was activated by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) to provide Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) support due to 27 large uncontained fires in the nation's Northwest.
The two C-130 MAFFS will be provided by the 153rd Airlift Wing and the 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force Base, based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
They will initially be located in Boise, Idaho, and are expected to be available to fly wildfire suppression missions beginning today.
Contributing: California National Guard and National Interagency Fire Center