From: Governor's Office of Emergency Services

State's mutual aid system allows one community to help another during

emergency

SACRAMENTO - As fire crews across California begin to contain and
control numerous stubborn fires, many local government strike teams
that were deployed this week through California's Fire and Rescue
Mutual Aid system are returning home to their local departments.

"Earlier this week as fires raged out of control in California, the
Mutual Aid system allowed California fire departments to come
together and rapidly contain the stubborn blazes," said Dallas Jones,

Director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.  "Mutual Aid

is basically the concept of 'neighbor-helping-neighbor' deal with
emergencies."

Currently, five large fires and complexes continue burning throughout

California.  In the early hours as these blazes evolved, local fire
crews quickly realized they would need additional resources and
requested assistance from OES.

At OES Headquarters, staff was quickly mobilized round-the-clock to
respond to the requests and deploy strike teams, in many cases, on an

"immediate need."  At its peak, OES deployed 26 strike teams of local

government and State OES engines, totaling more than 130 engines and
an estimated 520 fire fighters 

California's Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, administered by OES,
is designed to assist the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection, and federal wildland fire agencies, and local
departments.  The system is designed to ensure that additional
resources are provided to local jurisdictions whenever their own
resources are committed or insufficient for a fire.

Currently, only seven percent of the approximately 1,000 local
government engines available through the mutual aid system have been
used in Northern California.  Additionally, 10 percent of the State
OES' 110 engines are being used on the fire lines.

State OES engines are provided to local governments for use during an

emergency or disaster.	Under an agreement with the state, when
requested by OES, fire departments are required to dispatch the
engines, including personnel, within an hour to the scene of an
emergency or disaster in California.

When not in use during a disaster, local departments may use the
engines for mutual aid response, for neighboring cities and counties,

local multiple alarm fires, temporary replacement of out-of-service
engines, for training, and for other local needs.

-OES-


For more information contact:
Eric Lamoureux @ 262-1843

EDIS-08-16-01 1402 PDT


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