Amidst the summer heat, California wildfires have caused evacuations and destruction, straining resources and prompting the deployment of Boerne firefighter Toby Vicknair to assist.
Vicknair, along with five other Texas-based strike teams, was deployed to California to support fire suppression efforts following a directive by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and Texas A&M Forest Service.
Last week, Abbott’s office reported that TDEM, the Texas A&M Forest Service, and the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) have begun preparing over 100 firefighters, emergency management personnel, and more than 25 fire engines, command vehicles, and equipment to assist in battling the ongoing wildfires in northern California.
“Texans understand the urgency of responding to wildfires, and our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis,” Abbott said in a statement Sunday, July 28. “I am grateful for all the firefighters and emergency management personnel as they answer the call to protect their fellow Americans. Cecilia and I pray for the brave first responders who are battling these destructive wildfires in California.”
Vicknair told the Star in a text last week that each strike team has approximately 20 personnel and seven apparatuses.
“We are right on the lines of the fire, but most of the big fire fighting is being done by the helicopters,” he said. “They start flying and just dump load after load of water.”
According to The Los Angeles Times, the wildfires began the last week of July in Butte County and have spread to Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties.
This has been the fifth-largest wildfire in the state’s history, consuming almost 390,000 acres and remains only 18 percent contained as of July 31.
This is not the first time Vicknair has been sent outside of Texas to help battle fires.
Last September, Vicknair and Boerne Fire Chief Manny Casarez were sent to Louisiana to help fellow firefighters tame blazes.
Vicknair has been a part of the Boerne Fire Department since 2010, where he began as a volunteer.
In 2012 when the city established its official fire department, Vicknair was among the first to be placed on the payroll.
He has since contributed to the department by establishing a wildland firefighting team in Boerne.
Vicknair is also one of the few in the department who has a completed task book giving him the ability to help fight fires anywhere in the nation.
“When we deploy outside of the state they will only take firefighters who have the nationally recognized credentials,” said Chief Casarez. “So he is qualified to go anywhere in the country that needs him.”
As of now, Vicknair will be fighting on the frontline for about 21 days. He is currently stationed at a camp 30 miles from where the fires are burning.
Experts have warned Californians to brace for an active wildfire session through the fall and the remainder of the summer.
Comment
Comments