Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Cooperation, agencies work together to stop wildfire

When a vehicle flew off Sierra Road, north of Alum Rock Park, flames erupted scorching over 15 acres of parched hillside in this rugged section of the Diablo Range. One element that contributed to keeping this fire, and others this season, from becoming catastrophic events is interagency cooperation. As we march deeper into California's record drought, San José Firefighters continue to protect residents of the city, and in some cases with the help of firefighters from neighboring departments.

The July 29th fire that broke out in the hills east of San José saw a quick, coordinated response, from not only the San José Fire Department, but from CAL FIRE, Spring Valley Fire Department and the Milpitas Fire Department. With firefighters and equipment converging on the area the sky above the scene was occupied by aerial firefighting aircraft, including tankers and a helicopter from CAL FIRE.

This kind of response is what is often required to keep a wildland fire from racing out of control, threatening lives and property. Thanks to long-established agreements between area departments, each agency knows it can rely on its neighboring departments when confronted with fires that have the potential to grow into major incidents.

In the case of the fire along Sierra Road, over 50 San José Firefighters, working side-by-side with their peers from adjoining agencies, were able to quickly corral a blaze that could have quickly became a major conflagration.


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