MILCA ELVIRA CHACON | Chico Enterprise-Record
CHICO – William Schimb came straight from fighting the Gold Complex Fire in the Plumas National Forest to battle the Park Fire.
The Napa firefighter got to Chico on July 27. Though fighting fires is his job, he can’t shake away the sad feeling when seeing a community being impacted by a fire. Fulfilling his job and fighting through the blaze is the way he feels he can give back.
“The impact on the community is (what) you feel the worst for,” Schimb said.
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Also having worked the frontlines during Camp Fire in 2018, he is navigating the Park Fire with more familiarity. Though Schimb said both fires are different, this time around he has felt more comfortable fighting against one of Northern California’s biggest wildfires yet.
Firefighters have come from around the country and state to help fight Park Fire, that has now reached nearly 423,000 acres and is the fourth-largest in state history.
With several closed roads, evacuation notices and hundreds of destroyed structures, the contribution of thousands of firefighters has helped protect Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties.
According to Cal Fire, there are 507 engines and 6,627 total personnel in the area. Twenty-five engines came from Texas, 10 from Utah and one from Nevada, and an engineer from Arizona also joined the team fighting the blaze.
Firefighters in Chico
Coming from Merced, firefighter Jim Evans got to Chico last Thursday and was assigned the role of a public information officer for the Park Fire. In his 19 years as a firefighter, he said, he had never seen anything like this before.
Evans had a previous experience with a large wildfire in 2013, when the Rim Fire burned over 200,000 acres. It remains as one of Yosemite’s largest wildfires. He believes blazes like these will only get bigger in the future.
“Unfortunately, this is kind of the new norm,” Evans said.
As a PIO for the Park Fire, Evans said many elements are out of firefighters’ control, including weather and humidity challenges.
“It’s just a bunch of things that are very unpredictable that we have to worry about,” Evans said.
Shane Anderson from Ventura County said going anywhere around the state is routine for him, saying that the Oregon border is the farthest out he’s had to fight fires.
“(This is) kind of like every fire. Being away from home and the long shifts are probably the hardest part as far as operationally, (but) the stuff on the (Park) fire is nothing too out of the ordinary,” Anderson said.
Looking at the damage this fire has caused, he is reminded of the Dixie Fire from 2022. But working with the Ventura crew, made up of 20 individuals, relieves the tension.
“It’s just a lot of work and sleep, but hanging out with your friends while you’re doing it makes it a lot better,” Anderson said.
Depending on the contract each crew has with the California Office of Emergency Services, crews’ time in a fire area can range from seven to 21 days.
Firefighter Meagan de la Torre from Livermore said this has been the farthest she’s traveled out for a fire. New to the scene, de la Torre looked forward to helping out through her first strike team.
Originally from San Luis Obispo County, de la Torre moved to New Jersey around 2010. After being unable to enter the fire services in the East Coast due to age standards, she returned to California.
“(This is) a whole new experience just in general,” de la Torre said. “I’ve just been doing mostly the structure side. So now getting into the wildland, I’m super pumped.”
Heading into the Park Fire, she has no idea as to what to expect but said she is secure in trusting her team.
“I’ve noticed we’ve got a really good crew. We’ve just gotten a good pass-off report from the crew that’s going off-duty, so super excited,” de la Torre said.
Chico fairground
To help aid the numerous personnel, the Silver Dollar Fairground has served as a station to refuel both vehicles and firefighters.
Cal Fire-Butte County PIO Rick Carhart said firefighters follow a routine: showing up to the fairground before 7 a.m., meeting with a team leader, gathering supplies and getting breakfast. After coming back from a long shift, fire crews make a stop at the fueling station in the fairground, provided by the InterState Oil Company, supplying fuel and engines through emergency services.
“They’re run by a local fire at a city fire district,” Carhart said. “So basically the engine is on loan to the city. But then whenever there’s an emergency, the Office of Emergency Services calls in and says hey, we need your engine.”
The fairground also provides tents for the U.S. Forest Service, along with food, showers, trailers and laundry facilities for those who don’t stay in hotels.
In addition, four furry friends roam around the fairground. The therapy dogs serve to help those returning from long and stressful shifts.
“To be perfectly honest, just petting a dog is really what most people need,” Carhart said.
With the amount of work firefighters are up against at the frontlines, making sure personnel is taken care of is crucial. Carhart said two meals are served in a day consisting of 4,000-calorie breakfasts and dinners.
An additional PIO working under Cal Fire, San Jose fire captain Sergio Arellano got here on July 27. That gave him a feeling of deja vu, as he also remembered fighting the Dixie Fire in 2022.
“So both of those things have some eerie similarities,” Arellano said, noting the magnitude of both fires.
His worry through this fire has been the exhaustion firefighters endure.
“That’s a huge concern: nutrition, exposure to the elements and fatigue, physical and mental fatigue,” Arellano said.
However, he applauds good staffing and the resources available that have been able to take care of personnel.
Observing what the communities of Northern California have gone through because of wildfires and their attitudes towards it, he looks up to the way they embrace each other and fire crews during these times. One of many places that has come together to give back those fighting fires in the are has been the Chico Target location, providing free snacks and beverages.
“We are thankful for the heroic actions of first responders arriving from across the country to assist with Park Fire relief efforts and are happy that our local store has been able to provide a small token of support and appreciation for their efforts,” Target spokesperson Anthony Thomas said by email.
Added Arellano: “They’re really there for each other. I think it’s just so important, right when this community has faced so many challenges, that they really do just support each other. You know, it’s really nice to see from an outsider coming in.”
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