Local fire agencies including the Morro Bay Fire Department and CAL FIRE units across San Luis Obispo County have sent personnel to Southern California to help fight the multiple wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.
“We typically have a type three engine here at Avila Beach. One of those engines has gone with the OES strike team down south on the Palisades Fire. We also have engine 40 from Santa Margarita that left with that strike team,” said Ryan Grebe, San Luis Obispo County CAL FIRE PIO. “Earlier last night we had five CAL FIRE type three engines that went out to the Hurst Fire.”
For local fire agencies, it’s all about balance.
“We’re sending a lot of engines, but we’re trying to make sure that we can also backfill and protect San Luis County if anything happens here,” Grebe said.
“We always want our home base covered. We always want firefighters here to cover for any issues back here,” said Morro Bay Deputy Fire Chief Matt Vierra.
Morro Bay Fire and other cities are also helping with firefighting efforts down south.
“We have an engine from San Luis City, an engine from Atascadero, an engine from here in Morro Bay. Each engine usually has four personnel,” Vierra said.
With it being the offseason for wildfires, Vierra says that means they’re without seasonal firefighters.
“That’s why you see resources being pulled from all over the state. We just got notified there’s resources coming out of Oregon to help cover California while everybody is down south,” Vierra said.
And it could be a while until local crews return. Grebe says units typically return to their home county one to two weeks after the initial fire starts.
“A lot of the firefighting ends but there’s also a lot of mop up and patrol that needs to happen to ensure that fire is completely out,” Grebe said.
He says there are no concerns locally as of right now.
“The majority of the high winds are down in Southern California, so we are looking pretty good, but that doesn’t mean we’re out of fire season. We still have low humidity and some winds that are coming through the county, so we want everyone to stay vigilant,” Grebe said.
The Santa Maria Fire Department also sent two crews to Los Angeles County to help with fire suppression and evacuations.
"I received a text from the strike team leader last night in the evening stating that our crew from Santa Maria Fire Department, the crew from engine 305 made a positive impact, actually saving an elderly female in a home that was burning, an elderly female who was bedridden in a burning home," said Chief Brad Dandridge.
Dandridge added that while eight firefighters from the department are now in Southern California, all local responsibilities continue to be met.
