OCFA's Trabuco Canyon Strike Team Assisting Border Fire Crew

Southern California fire season is in full swing, and the Orange County Fire Authority has joined their forces with fellow firefighters in an effort to lend assistance with raging fires to the north and south.

With brittle brush on hills and record high temperatures the OCFA is on high alert in OC, but has answered the call for aid. One such crew, the Santiago Fire Crew is boots on the ground, lending assistance with the San Diego Border Fire.

“We have sent firefighters both north to the Sherpa Fire, and south to the Border Fire, in San Diego,” OCFA Captain Larry Kurtz stated in interview. “We have also upped staffing for the extreme weather.”

The last five years of drought in California have ensured that fire season lasts all year. Mutual Aid Agreements with fire agencies across California—such as Cal Fire, US Forestry, Los Angeles City and County and San Diego all work together in times of need, according to Kurtz.

“We agree to send a set number of resources to help reinforce their numbers in their counties in times of fire, and conversely, they will send resources in our area when we need the assistance,” Kurtz said.

The Santiago Fire Crew of Trabuco Canyon is currently assisting with the Border Fire in San Diego County—a strike team of approximately 20 dedicated wildland firefighters adding their efforts to the San Diego blaze.

They are currently on operational assignment at the Border Fire, that as of 3 p.m. on Monday, June 20 has burned through 1,900 acres and is only 5-percent contained.

READ: Border Fire Update -- Patch San Diego

Living and working as an emergency responder in the state of California means you must be at the ready to go where needed—but that by no means reflects on the amount of resources on the lookout for fire in Orange County.

“We currently have four firefighting helicopters, several off road wildland engines, as well as firefighters that train year round for this type of situation,” Kurtz said.

According to Kurtz, the OCFA has depth with firefighting resources, able to send out wildland firefighters to assist other cities while having a strong and able crew back home to protect Orange County wildland and residents. In the past, they have received aid from neighboring fire services in time of need.

“Back during the Santiago Fire, we had resources join us from as far away as Montana,” Kurtz said. “We have additional staffing, fire watches in the canyons –when we see a report of a brush fire, we increase the number of units that go to an incident.”

READ: Dramatic Photos of San Juan Brush Fire

Chances are, driving around Orange County, the number of engine sightings has gone up incrementally during the hot weather. The OCFA understands that time is of the essence when a fire is reported. The first hour is crucial in getting a handle on a fire, whether it will be surrounded and knocked down, or out of control.

“In the first hour it can determine whether the fire spreads one acre or 100 acres,” Kurtz said. “Our goal is to hit wildland fires hard, with a lot of resources.”

Patch Orange County will be following the work of the Santiago Fire Crew from Trabuco Canyon, as they assist at the Border Fire.

Photo Credit-- Maggie Avants