Thoughts from the Bark Side

Hello,
Yesterday I attended my first emergency “call-out” as a certified CERT member. The instructions were to go to the “Station Fire” base camp and to assist however we could in the efforts to fight this rampaging blaze. CERT does not fight the blaze, we are, let’s say, the caulk in any gaps that are needed in helping the support efforts. In my case, I did traffic control.

At this writing, the fire is now 85,000 sq. acres or 134 sq. miles. To see a map of this fire, CLICK HERE. It is updated every few hours and as needed. It is the worst fire in this area that I can remember and I have lived in LA for 30 years. Power is now in danger, as well as some emergency communications, radio and television (cable not affected.) It is only 5% contained.

What I saw while driving in with my neighbor and fellow CERT member yesterday at 5:30 am, was something we have never seen on TV. We were coming in the opposite direction of the CERT call-out instructions, so we were not sure where the CERT station was located. We turned into the first place we could and though it was not where we need to go, we were astounded at what we saw. An entire CITY was set up. As far as you could see were legions of fire fighters, equipment & rigs, mobile command posts for all agencies and tents, a sea of tents. It was dark and so incredibly smokey this base camp seemed to have sprung up like Brigadoon, but in truth it had only been there for three days and was hardly bucolic. It was eerie, the way the smoke was captured in the emergency lights. Shadows of all these emergency workers in determined crossing paths, getting ready for another hellacious day. I didn’t take photos of this, it was almost too intrusive, and probably why we do not see this on TV.

Fire fighters, sheriffs, and police and all sorts of support personnel were swarming the area. We saw fire fighters all over, crossing the dirt road while brushing their teeth, and many carrying plates of food, all before going back out on the line. We drove around until finally asking a commander if he knew where the CERT post was. We got our directions but before we drove off, he thanked us for coming and said how much he appreciated OUR efforts. CAN YOU IMAGINE? These are the guys putting their lives on the line and they are thanking us. That happened through-out the day. I would wave some police or fire fighters through the intersection, and they said thanks for doing this. Wow.

The base camp was stretched along about a mile. Every type of fire fighting equipment was parked in the make-shift parking area and hundreds of police cars and motorcycles were along the road. There were few jobs for us that early, so we just waited for instructions. At about 8:00 the massive roll out started and it lasted for a solid half an hour. This was all the equipment and fire-fighters Juliana and I saw in the camp a few hours earlier. Rigs from the forestry services from all over, every county and city of LA was represented, rigs from Wyoming, Montana and Arizona drove by all carrying the scores of fire fighters, men and women, going back on the line. Hundreds of fire trucks passed by us to get up to the freeway to carry them to the heart of the fire. Since the Governor declared this a emergency, they also rolled the special Search and Rescue trucks. We were in awe. You cannot but feel incredibly humbled by seeing this, the mass of men and women going to protect us.

The weather was brutal. No breeze and it was about 105 degrees and about 8% humidity. I drank 4 bottles of water and 2 bottles of gatorade, but still got a nasty headache that sent us home after just an eight hour shift (we found out after asking to be released the shift was 12 hours.) I was sick as a dog that night, totally incapacitated from the heat, smoke (I did wear my particle mask most of the day) and the headache. How do these firefighters do it? I was nowhere near the heat of the fire nor did I have to carry the weight of all the equipment and heavy clothing they must wear and I was miserable, focused, but miserable. (I sure didn’t want to cause two fire engines to collide. That would be rather embarrassing. Lose focus, time to go home. As they say in CERT, do not become the victim! Amen.)

Captain Stacy Gerlich is the CERT Unit Commander for the City of Los Angeles. She has to figure out where our resources are needed and how we are then deployed and if and when a new call-out is needed (it is an automated call to our cell phones and to our email.) She has done so much to promote CERT in the LA community and to organize us into a functioning entity. Our thanks to her especially. I have to thank the other CERT members, those far more hardy than I that stayed on for the full 12 hours. You are amazing.

Thank you and blessings to the firefighters. We share in your loss of your fellow fire fighters, and our prayers and thoughts are with you and their families. It was a tragic accident. We hope we get the change in weather that we need to help this impossible and inexplicable situation. You need a well deserved rest, in air conditioning, and to be home with your families.
Susan