Upon arriving in southern California to assist in fighting uncontained wildfires, HSB firefighters Jason Blackmon and Jonathan Morrison were assigned to protect surviving structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhoods making certain that no smoldering areas flare up due to the Santa Ana winds. HSB Fire Chief Doug Fowler reported that the firefighters are “doing well, but very busy.”
Deployed firefighters work 24-hour constant duty followed by 24 hours off duty. While on duty it is about 16 hours of hard labor. Assuming nothing happens during the wee hours of the night, no tents are allowed, but from midnight until 4 or 5 a.m. they can get some rest in their assigned area on the hard ground. When getting on-duty rest, someone is always designated to monitor the radio for other response needs. Off-duty hours are spent in a local hotel.
On Monday morning, Jan. 20, Fowler reported, “Our deployed folks were up all last night addressing hot spots. They will rest today and head back out for more of the same tomorrow.” The weather forecast on Monday for the next day, Tuesday, was for 10-15 mph winds.
Fowler reported, “We are preparing for a crew swap around the 21-day mark, which is about Jan. 26. If the swap is needed, we have two more folks up to take their place.”
