Wildland
The fire department annually certifies (Red Card) over forty wildland firefighters as an out of area initial and extended attack resource. Currently the team has at its disposal:
- 1 I.H. 4800 4x4 Type 3 Engine
- 2 2009 Ford F-550 Type 3/6 Brush Trucks (500 GPM/500 Gallon)
- 2 Type 2 Structural Engines
- 3 Type 6 Ford F-550 (150 GPM/350 Gallons)
- 1 Mobile Cache
We are active participants in interagency agreements and are cooperators in the New Mexico Resource MobilizationPlan.
The team has two qualified strike team leaders, a task force leader, four fully qualified single resource engine bosses, three engine boss trainees, several engine operators in addition to several firefighters types I & II. These resources are listed in the national ROSS wildland ordering system and are available to all GACCs. Aside from numerous New Mexico wildland fires, the team has also been deployed to Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and California.
Red Cards
The infamous “RED CARD” sytem is actually very easy to understand. Basically the system requires training, experience and a specified level of physical fitness for each job classification. We, by virtue of our agreement with the State of New Mexico, can and do qualify wildland personnel up to and including engine boss (engine officer). Each year we offer several courses to enable personnel to move up the ladder. Additionally, courses not offered by the fire department are available throughout the state and region.
Every year we provide several opportunities for interested personnel to “pack test.” This requires personnel to walk a fast three miles while carrying a 45 pound pack in under 45 minutes and 45 seconds. Individuals may try as often as they wish. Upon completion of the required training for each level, the pack test, and a physical examination, personnel are issued a Position Task Book for the level and then must acquire the necessary on-line experience. Once the task book is completed the individual is qualified at that level.
The four most common levels in use by San Juan County personnel are Firefighter Type I, Firefighter Type II, Engine Operator, and Engine Boss (Officer).
Please contact Craig Daugherty or Larry Marcum if you have any questions regarding wildland fire participation.
Strike Team
.jpg)
A strike team is a group of engines of like type (structure or wildland) that are deployed as a work group during a major fire.
We try, when asked to send as much as we can without depleting the local coverage. Since only red carded firefighters are eligible to go out of the area for these fires it is not usually a problem.
Even though we list up to five engines in each category it is unlikely that we can supply five staffed engines in any one event unless it is very close. More commonly we would like to be able to send 2-3 engines. Each deployment within New Mexico is for up to 5 straight days. We are allowed to rotate people with some restrictions. If we are asked to go out of state the assignment is for up to 14 straight days.
.jpg)
If we can’t send an entire strike team we will be mated with other fire department resources from other parts of the country.
We may operate under a strike team leader from any of the agencies assigned to the fire. Standardized training, operating policies and expectations make this pretty smooth. In some case we may combine locally with resources from Bloomfield and Farmington in order to fulfill a strike team order.
In the most recent fire in southwest Colorado the order was for 9 type 6 engines. The hope was that we could fill at least 4 of those. Being the fourth of July we were able to only send one engine along with two from Farmington. The rest of the order came from all over the area.
