Whidbey firefighters help battle fires in LA

Five Whidbey firefighters have joined efforts to stop the flames that have been ravaging the greater Los Angeles area since last week.

As of Tuesday evening, the fires have claimed the lives of 24 people, though local authorities expect the death toll to rise, according to the Associated Press.

As strong winds blew over the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles Monday afternoon, Chloe Eriksen said she had never seen a fire of this magnitude before.

The fires have destroyed a total of 40,000 acres and over 12,300 structures, with 23,717 acres and 5,000 structures burned in the Palisades alone. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection details wind gusts ranging between 24 and 45 miles per hour, with the National Weather Service issuing a red flag warning for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, forecasting sustained winds of 50 miles per hour.

Eriksen has been a firefighter at North Whidbey Fire and Rescue for a little over a year. When last week she received a text message asking her to join Camano Island Fire and Rescue on a journey to California, she thought of the devastating images she had been seeing in the media.

On early Wednesday morning, less than a day after receiving the text, she embarked on a three-day road trip to Southern California, where she will be deployed for 18 days. Her chief, Chris Swiger, commended her bravery.

Since arriving, Eriksen and her team have worked 38- and 24-hour-long shifts, with firefighters taking turns to allow their colleagues some time to nap in the rig.

The crew has been touring the neighborhood, removing any fuels from homes and digging fire lines to stop the spread of the fire as it loomed from the top of the hill. They have also inspected the area to find any escape routes and safety zones to use in case they need a quick way out, she said.

Driving past the rows of destroyed buildings, Eriksen couldn’t help but feel sad for the people who, until recently, lived there. At the same time, she felt concern for those who are still in their homes, not knowing whether their property is going to be next.

Kole Kellison, Jeff Rhodes, Justin Burnett and Ken Lindenstein from Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue are also among the over 200 Washington firefighters who agreed to help with the Palisades fire containment efforts.

Chief Jerry Helm said the men were deployed Friday morning, departing just before 4 a.m. and arriving in Davis, California, a little past midnight on Saturday morning. They later passed a vehicle inspection to ensure the engine was safe before heading to the fire.

Sunday night, the crew inspected the neighborhood in search of any flare-ups in areas where the flames had already been extinguished.

This isn’t the first time Central Whidbey has been deployed to a contain a fire out of state, Helm said, mentioning some deployments to Oregon and California occurred in recent years. Usually, however, those fires affect forested areas, requiring smaller engines that can easily move through the vegetation. This time, he said, the department was asked to deploy a Type 1 fire truck, which is larger and used for structural fires.

Helm said his firefighters had been showing interest in going to California before Cal Fire sent out a request for help, Helm said. This was not surprising to him, as the desire to help those in need is a trait shared by all firefighters.

The state of California will reimburse the fire department for cost of labor and equipment. According to Helm, each of the three shifts in Central Whidbey are short of a crew member, so if the department needs to fill that spot, California will cover that cost.

The Central Whidbey team will be deployed for 18 days and may be asked to stay longer if needed. Alternatively, at the end of this period, they may return home, passing the baton to other Red Card-certified wildland firefighters from the department, Helm said.

A fire of this proportion is a learning opportunity for firefighters, who can then apply what they learned to a potential scenario taking place on Whidbey, Helm said.

Eriksen said she found the outpouring of support from the local community and the firefighters to be beautiful. She hopes to see the same spirit of solidarity in the scenario of a big fire affecting her community on Whidbey Island, a sentiment shared by Helm.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS Chief Nick Walsh said he is proud of the Central Whidbey team for going to California. Because the department needs to come to an agreement with the Department of Natural Resources and set policies for these deployments, South Whidbey is unable to help. However, he said, he hopes the department will be able to participate in similar efforts by the end of the year. The Oak Harbor Fire Department was not requested to send help, according to Lt. Ed Klaszky.

(Photo provided) Kole Kellison, Jeff Rhodes, Justin Burnett and Ken Lindenstein from Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue are among the many Washington firefighters who are currently assisting Cal Fire in containing one of the worst fires in U.S. history.