UFA firefighters join battle against Los Angeles wildfires

Unified Fire Authority (UFA) personnel are among the thousands of firefighters from across the country who are battling the massive wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area.

The fires, which have resulted in 24 deaths and at least 16 people missing, have consumed more than 62 square miles.

“This is part of our service mentality,” Eagle Mountain Fire Chief Bret Fossum said.

Unified Fire Authority, which services Eagle Mountain with fire protection and emergency response services, regularly sends personnel to assist in disaster response across the country.

With respect to the wildfires around greater Los Angeles, UFA has sent a team of eight, many of whom have previously worked in Eagle Mountain.

The agency is drawing from its structure fire department, but has personnel with wildland credentials included, which allows them to deploy to various disasters more effectively.

Fossum emphasized the importance of the response to gain greater knowledge for local incident response.

“We learn how to better deal with large-scale incident management,” Fossum said. “There are times when large-scale incidents occur in our neck of the woods, and we draw on resources from the area and out-of-state to help us in those instances.”

UFA personnel are prepared to be on-site for a minimum of 14 days, with the possibility of extending their deployment to 21 days.

The fires around Los Angeles are, according to the National Weather Services, being fueled in part by dangerous weather conditions, including strong winds and relatively dry conditions.

The NWS has issued red flag warnings through Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, with the most dangerous day expected to be Tuesday this week. Sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts of up to 70 mph in the mountains create critical fire conditions.

The wildfires, which include the Eaton and Palisades fires, have forced the evacuation of around 150,000 people, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As of Sunday, the Palisades Fire was 11% contained, and the Eaton Fire was 27% contained. The fires have burned more than 12,000 structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, with early estimates of damage and economic losses between $135 billion and $150 billion.

While the UFA team is assisting in Los Angeles, their presence highlights the interconnectedness of fire agencies.

“Everything that we do is to keep the public safe and this is an extension of that,” Fossum said. “Whether it’s our community or in other communities. This is why we exist and why we do what we do.”

Fossum was reassuring that no frontline apparatus’ from Eagle Mountain have been sent to California in the emergency response. Occasionally, K-9 units have been sent to disaster areas throughout the country to assist in broader emergency response efforts.

UFA does not anticipate sending additional personnel to assist with emergency response in California at this time.