November 15, 2018 600 AM
COLLEGE STATION – Some 200 firefighters in 50 engines from 47 Texas fire departments in 23 counties will head to California to help fight three major wildfires that have taken at least 29 lives, destroyed more than 6,700 structures and prompted evacuations for about 250,000 Californians, according to the Texas Forest Service. “When the call came into Texas this summer to aid our California neighbors, Texas A&M Forest Service and TIFMAS were able to render aid. Nearly 100 Texas firefighters were of service. This is what mutual aid is all about and, here in Texas, we do it well so California asked the Texans to come back and help out again,” said Tom Boggus, Texas A&M Forest Service director. On Saturday, California emergency officials contacted the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TEDM) who then called Texas A&M Forest Service to request help via the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) program. TIFMAS is the fire and rescue framework that provides wildfire incident support. Texas A&M Forest Service helps coordinate wildland fire suppression efforts throughout Texas with local fire departments.
“This is another solid example of Texas firefighters stepping up to help out. This is the largest mobilization of Texas firefighting resources to another state to fight wildland fires,” said Mark Stanford, fire chief and associate director at Texas A&M Forest Service. “TFS will send five engines but a majority of the personnel and engines are coming from municipal fire departments all across Texas.” Texas counties that are mobilizing resources include: Bexar, Brazos, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gregg, Harris, Hays, Hutchinson, Lamar, Montgomery, Parker, Potter, Somervell, Tarrant, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Walker, Wichita and Williamson.
Nacogdoches Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger, who is also the TIFMAS state coordinator, said that these out-of-state assignments allow municipal firefighters to gain valuable experience that may not occur in their daily firefighting duties.
“The training and experience that our firefighters receive will better enable us to serve Texans at home,” said Kiplinger. “We are rotating these assignments among various departments around the state to give as many firefighters additional experience.” A total of 27 Texas A&M Forest Service personnel, a strike team and five additional fire engines from Brownwood, Childress, Smithville, Mineral Wells and Wolforth left recently. This makes a total of 55 Texas fire engines. The 113,000-acre Camp Fire in Butte County that caused 29 fatalities, destroyed 6,453 residences and 260 commercial structures. It is approximately 25 percent contained. The 91,572-acre Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties that caused two fatalities, three firefighter injuries and destroyed 372 structures. It is approximately 20 percent contained. The 4,531-acre Hill Fire in Ventura County that destroyed two structures and is approximately 80 percent contained.
“Our thoughts and prayers go with our Texan firefighters,” said Boggus. “We are also thinking of our California neighbors and the tremendous losses they are currently dealing with in Los Angeles, Ventura and Butte Counties.”
