Park Fire: Central Texas firefighters will head to California to help fight wildfire

More than 100 firefighters and emergency management personnel across Texas spent Monday getting ready to respond to a deployment order by Governor Greg Abbott

Six crew members from Travis County ESD 1 were notified on Sunday, July 28, that they were a part of Abbott’s California wildfire deployment. Chief Donnie Norman is one of the Strike Team leaders.

"We're glad we have the ability to help. We're glad that we're trained, and we have the capabilities to be able to answer the call, whether it's in state or out of state," said Chief Norman.

The firefighters from Lago Vista are teaming up with crews from Oak Hill, Round Rock, Canyon Lake, and Bexar County. This Central Texas Strike Team will have 21 members plus three others from fire departments in San Angelo and Odessa. They are needed.

The Park Fire in northern California is approaching 400,000 acres in size and is considered the sixth largest in that state's history.

"Utter chaos. I mean, a lot of homes have burned. The local resources are taxed just like they would be here in Texas. You got 360,000 acres burning. No one can handle that on their own. So, I think it'll be welcoming to see us ride in. Other states and the federal government are already there," said Chief Norman.

Lt. Andrew Rodriguez is among those answering the call for help. It is his first deployment to a California wildfire.

"It'll be a little bit of new territory for me, but I've been all over the state of Texas on multiple deployments," said Lt. Rodriguez. 

Almost a year ago, Rodriguez was working on the Davis Mountain wildfire. The difficult West Texas terrain required steep climbs to reach areas hit by air drops. In a way, that fire fight in Texas prepared him for the Park fire. He had been watching reports from the West Coast and noted what had caught his attention.

"Probably that's how fast it's moving. You know, 5,000 acres an hour is pretty fast on how fast the fire's growing," said Lt. Rodriguez.

This deployment to California is a very quick turnaround for Travis Co ESD 1. Twelve members from this station just got back on July 18 after working in the Houston area as part of the Hurricane Beryl response. The team, on that trip, worked different assignments, according to Battalion Chief Ben Walker.

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"We had several crews that were on ambulances that were actually supplementing Houston's 911 system," said Walker.

Other Beryl missions included damage assessments and delivering oxygen tanks to people cut off. Walker isn't part of this new deployment, but he's ready.

"If they do a crew swap, then I'll try to head out there and help out," said Walker.

Reimbursement for the deployment is to be paid by California with federal funding, and there's extra coverage to fill any personnel gap.

"The resources are here. The state not only does pay our department when we leave, but they also backfill our positions when we leave here," said Norman.

The Texas Strike Team members have been told their deployment could last from two weeks to 21 days.

WildfiresLago VistaCaliforniaRound RockSan AntonioBexar County