Crime & Safety
Peninsula Fire Crews Deployed To SoCal Blazes
Fire crews from across the Peninsula headed north last week to help fight the Kincade Fire, and have been redeployed twice since then.
BAY AREA, CA — Almost a week after fire crews from across the Peninsula drove north to help fight the Kincade Fire, the work still isn't over for Bay Area Strike Team 2278TF — made up of firefighters from Gilroy, Woodside, Menlo Park, Santa Clara and Palo Alto.
As containment grew for the Kincade Fire, the Bay Area team was redeployed to the Easy Fire in Simi Valley, forcing the crews to drive 400 miles overnight into early Thursday morning, according to a release from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
The Peninsula team was stationed on a fire line near the Ronald Reagan Library, where they worked through Thursday night — until they were redeployed again Friday morning to the nearby Maria Fire.
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Then, Saturday morning, they finally got a break.
By and large, the strike team wasn't fighting the devastating wildfires directly — instead, they were pre-positioned to help stop the blazes' spread, and worked on mop-up behind the fires' front lines.
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“Every firefighter wants to actually get to fight the fire directly, they all live for that opportunity," said Menlo Park Fire chief Harold Schapelhouman in a release.
"The not so glamorous, yet equally important, part of this job is mopping up every single ember, or hot spot, that could restart and spread the fire, especially if the wind comes back up. That’s the thankless, back breaking, time consuming and dirtiest part of our work."
