Peninsula Fire Crew Heads to Oroville for Flood Rescue Efforts

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA – More than a dozen personnel from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District are headed to Oroville in Butte County to assist with emergency rescue efforts due to potential flooding.

The district's 14-person Swift Water Rescue Team and one fire mechanic will assist rescuers from across the state in helping thousands of people in the Butte County area who are being evacuated because the Oroville
Dam's emergency spillway could give way and flood low-lying areas.

Fire officials on Sunday issued evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people around Oroville Dam after a hole developed in an emergency spillway, putting the massive structure in danger of failing and causing widespread floods.

According to fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman, all team personnel have specialized swift-water and flood rescue training. The team, which is equipped with three inflatable river boats and two power watercraft, is
trained to work with and from helicopters.

The team also consists of several drone pilots who are equipped with at least four drones for searching large areas.

On Sunday, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services activated all state-sponsored Swift Water Rescue Teams. In Oroville, the Menlo Park team will work from a designated staging area.

"These types of missions are extremely unusual, but having this specialized unit pre-positioned in the area will give the incident commanders and State OES the additional capability they may need if conditions continue to deteriorate," said fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman.

"The Fire District will have its specialized Air Boat, a Rigid Hull Inflatable boat and other trained personnel ready for any type of local emergency here in the Bay region and all fire stations are fully staffed," he
said.

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--Bay City News/Image BCN