Red, White & Blue Fire Deploys Wildland Crew

Monday, May 14, 2007 - Breckenridge, CO

Three firefighters from Red, White & Blue will start their wildland firefighting season early, when the State of Florida, through a federal inter-agency coordination center, requested national assistance in fighting a multitude of wildland fires, many of which have strained local resources.

Red, White & Blue Fire District, as they do each year, placed their name on a national resource list for wildland firefighting. The call came in this afternoon and a crew was assembled immediately. Battalion Chief Mike Rutherford, Driver Jeff Scalbom and Firefighter Eric McConnell headed out this evening, for the start of a long drive to Tallahassee, Florida, where they will receive their orders as to where specifically they will be going and what they will be doing. They will be driving one of their Type-6 vehicles, which is basically a modified F-550, with approximately 300 gallons of water, a smaller pump and built for maneuverability.

"This is an invaluable experience for our firefighters," said Chief Gary Green. "They return to work with the kind of knowledge gained only through first-hand understanding of wildland fire behavior and tactics," he said. "Hopefully, we won’t ever face such disastrous fires here at home, but through these experiences, I feel confident that our firefighters are better prepared to protect our community when faced with such challenging wildland fires," he added.

According to federal mandates, wildland firefighting crews can only work 14 consecutive days, at which time they need to have two days, or 48 hours, rest. If requested, Red, White & Blue will rotate crews in 14 days, thus allowing other firefighters in the department to gain experience and knowledge.

Red, White & Blue will be fully reimbursed by the federal government for all expenses.

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Press Contact:
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
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