Local firefighters head to California

A group of firefighters from the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District are in California helping fight wildfires.

Chief James Russell along with Zach Vanderwall, Levi Reed and Callahan Larson left Saturday and arrived in California on Monday. Two engine strike teams traveled together. The Plains-Paradise crew is on Montana Strike Team 1, Russell said.

"We send resources out of the district to help support the regional and national firefighting effort," Russell stated. "We want to return the help we have received in our area." He also said it provides experience for the firefighters that they bring back and utilize fighting fire at home.

When a disaster is declared, first responders from across the country are able to provide mutual aid through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The request for help came through EMAC last Friday morning, Russell stated. He had contacted Montana Disaster and Emergency Services earlier last week to notify them that the department had an engine available if an EMAC request came in. "So we were ready to go and already had a plan in place to maintain good response time and services to our fire district," Russell explained, adding that when they deploy resources out of the area, they always make sure they are maintaining protection at home. "That can be challenging any day of the week being a volunteer fire service, but we have excellent volunteers who work hard every day to protect their community."

Russell on Monday said the crew was assigned to the Palisades fire, and said the deployment would be 14 days, not including travel time. The crew is paid for their assignments out of the district. "These funds allow us to better serve our community with maintaining and replacing trucks and equipment," Russell added.