Strike Team 9170C
LOCAL CREW - Strike Team 9170C pictured in a Jan. 8 social media post. The group includes a Cal Fire CZU Battalion Chief, three Cal Fire CZU fire engines, and two Cal Fire SCU engines. They described a tough firefight as they faced off against unrelenting winds. (Cal Fire SCU / Twitter)

By now, people across the country—and beyond America’s borders—have seen visuals of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California from the safety of their homes, on TV and via the internet. 

As the world watches, local firefighters have been in the thick of it.

“Firefighters from across California, and from other states, are doing what they can to put out this fire,” said Cal Fire SCU Battalion Chief Mario Rivera when asked about the response from Los Gatos and Santa Clara County. “The wind is what is driving the fire to move in other directions.”

At press time, 24 people had died in the Los Angeles area wildfires.

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Erica Ray, a Santa Clara County Fire Department spokesperson, said the agency had deployed 17 people to the Palisades and Eaton fires—three engine companies with four members each.

“The others are single resource overhead assignments with the exception of one who is on one of the strike teams as a strike team leader trainee,” she said.

The strike teams are XSC 2301A (Palisades) and XSC 2302A (Eaton).

Engines 73 and 79 out of Saratoga and West Valley fire stations joined Strike Team XSC 2302A Jan. 8, alongside resources from San Jose, Mountain View and Sunnyvale departments, according to a post on Twitter. Engine 77 out of SCCFD’s Monta Vista station in Cupertino joined Strike Team XSC 2301A a little before that, with resources from Gilroy, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Milpitas.

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Watsonville Fire Department sent resources to assist with the fire response in SoCal. (Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian)

Fire officials say when a major wind storm is on the horizon, they pre-position people in the areas that could be most affected. And this year, Southern California hasn’t received much rain, so it was an area of concern.

Rivera said Engine 1663, a Type 3 engine, was dispatched from Alma Fire Station in Redwood Estates.

“It was a crew of three, sent down on Tuesday,” he said, late last week. “A strike team was sent down with Santa Cruz.”

Strike Team 9170C includes a Cal Fire CZU Battalion Chief, three Cal Fire CZU fire engines, and two Cal Fire SCU engines. Cal Fire CZU reported, in a Twitter post, those firefighters had a tough assignment as they faced off against unrelenting winds.

Rivera said Type 3 engines are four-wheel-drive vehicles that can traverse difficult landscapes.

“Type 1 is for the city,” he said. “Type 3 is more for tough terrain.”

While Type 1 trucks carry 750 gallons of water, a Type 3 carries 500 gallons in its bladder, Rivera explained.

“These Type 3’s are made for small roads, and they have to make steep climbs,” he said. “They need to do a lot of things that a Type 1 cannot do…Type 2 is a combination of the two.” 

Rivera said it was unclear when the local firefighters would be able to return.

“It’s wind driven fire,” he said, adding they’re being nourished by the Cal Fire mobile kitchens. “Each shift is a minimum of 24 hours.”

Authorities have been urging residents here to remain vigilant when it comes to fire prevention.

“There are so many ways for a spark to start a fire,” Rivera said. “And if you do see anything, just to call 911 to send us out to investigate.”

For Los Gatos locals, the name Rob Stump might ring a bell. Stump ran for Council in 2022, and although he didn’t win, his devotion to public safety has remained. He was recently appointed to Planning Commission.

And last week, he urged the body to take up fire prevention guidelines for the hillside areas.

“My number one priority is public safety, and right on top of the list is fire prevention,” he said in an interview. “The biggest economic threat to the town of Los Gatos is wildfire.”

He says he’s concerned for the around 3,000 Los Gatos homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

“This is where the wild land meets the community,” he said. “I am someone steeped in wildfire preparation and prevention. Some people call me an expert in the town of Los Gatos. But I don’t place that mantle (on) myself. I was just appointed to the Los Gatos planning commission on Jan. 8. It’s a four-year term. I’m also a hillside resident, so this hits close to home in more than one way.”

Having emergency communication systems in place is a big part of being ready for a wildfire, according to Stump.

“We have 31 miles in the public roadway through the WUI, and it needs to be maintained,” he said. “A significant percentage of fires start along roadways. I would just say that everybody needs to remain vigilant. Everybody needs to maintain the vegetation on their property. This is truly a community effort. This isn’t something that the government will do alone. And it takes everybody’s involvement.”

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