The fourth 20-person wildfire crew DCNR’s Bureau of Forest has deployed this year to help fight wildland fires will be headed to Northern California on Thursday.
The National Interagency Fire Center also raised the national preparedness level to 5, the highest level, in response to continuing wildfire outbreaks in the Western United States.
Level 5 means there is a national mobilization of resources to help fight wildfires and the potential for emerging significant wildland fires is high and expected to remain high in multiple geographic areas.
On August 15, DCNR reported two of its 20-person wildfire crews sent to Wyoming and California to fight wildfires returned to Pennsylvania completing their deployment with no major injuries and no COVID-19.
The third 20-person wildfire crew is still in Wyoming fighting their third wildlands fire.
The first crew deployed to Wyoming on July 16, the second crew to California on July 25 and the third to Wyoming on August 2.
Last year DCNR was called to send two 20-person crews, two wildfire fighting vehicles, 20 individuals as single resources for a total of 74 personnel.
When states and agencies need assistance, Pennsylvania wildland firefighters may be called upon, by virtue of mutual assistance agreements, to assist.
Pennsylvania firefighters are trained and qualified under national wildland standards to function either as a member of an organized incident management team or as a member of a wildland crew.
Firefighters are required to carry their own tent and sleeping bag to fire camp. In order to be assigned to the fire, firefighters must be equipped with flame resistant clothing (such as Nomex), leather lug-soled boots, hardhat, leather gloves, eye protection and a fire shelter before being allowed to work on the fire-line.
For more on wildfires in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s Wildfire webpage.
NewsClips:
-- The Guardian: California Wildfires: Thousands Evacuate As ‘Siege’ Of Flames Overwhelms State
-- AP: San Francisco Blanketed In Smoke As California Wildfires Rage
-- The Guardian: California Wildfire Spawns ‘Firenado’ As Tornado Warning Issued Amid Heatwave-- AP: San Francisco Blanketed In Smoke As California Wildfires Rage
AP: Wildfire Coverage In U.S., Around The World
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