Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Nevada firefighters itching to help neighbors

A caravan of fire engines departs Tuesday morning from Las Vegas. More than 40 firefighters from Las Vegas, Clark County and Henderson are headed to Southern California to help crews fight raging wildfires. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Local fire officials say it's a rare day when Californians, long admired for their wealth of firefighting resources, lean on outsiders to help tame their wildfires. But since that day has come, Las Vegas Valley firefighters are all too eager to cross state lines and battle the historic infernos that have besieged the Golden State.

More than 40 firefighters from Las Vegas, Clark County and Henderson loaded up their fire engines on Tuesday and headed to Southern California, where roughly 900 square miles and more than 1,600 homes have been scorched.

"This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime career chance for a lot of these guys," Dean Fletcher, head of Las Vegas Firefighters Local 1285, said as volunteer crews departed downtown Las Vegas. "These guys in California, they haven't asked for help outside of the state in a decade. So this is pretty special."

Meanwhile, Las Vegas businesses and charities began offering support to their beleaguered neighbors to the west, even if the effectiveness of the gestures was uncertain.

A lively drive for bottled water got under way at the Palms, and those behind it could only hope the supplies would get through to firefighters. The local Salvation Army, typically an organization that gets in the thick of relief efforts, has been limited for the time being to providing financial support.

"It's frustrating because we can't go there and do something," Salvation Army spokesman Charles Desiderio said, noting road closures in the area. "God willing when the fire is over we can do something like (provide clothing). Right now our urgency is to support the emergency personnel who are out there doing a monumental job."

When word of the volunteer search for firefighters first hit the valley about 6 p.m. Monday, there was little hesitation or soul-searching. Within 90 minutes of the invitation, 120 Las Vegas firefighters -- roughly a third of the department's rank-and-file -- had offered their services.

"If you could lock all these guys in a room and have them duke it out to see who could go, you'd have the best fights in Las Vegas," said Henderson Fire Logistics Division Chief Bruce Giles.

Those firefighters chosen to go will try and control what has become arguably the most destructive wildfire ever in California.

The scene has been likened to a war zone, where the enemies are fast-moving flames that have caused 17 deaths, created chaos at Los Angeles International Airport, and cloaked Southern California skies with poisonous gases and heavy clouds of smoke.

Area firefighters, who will temporarily be under the command of the federal government, expect to encounter the most unruly flames when they get to Santee, which is northeast of San Diego.

In the Las Vegas Valley, there have been plenty of major construction fires, but the desert climate means fewer things for a fire to feed on. In places like tree-rich San Diego, that is far from the case.

"They're going into unusual, unfamiliar territory," said Tim McAndrew, emergency coordinator for the Las Vegas Fire Department. "They're not accustomed to this type of situation ... where the urban and wildland fires come together."

The 44 firefighters who were sent will do battle for three 12-hour shifts over three days, and then be relieved by fresher bodies, said Las Vegas Fire spokesman Tim Szymanski.

Fire officials expect the experience will be as unforgettable as it is exhausting.

"It's something that is out of our element," said Henderson Fire Capt. Scott Pettingill. "We don't have a lot of experience fighting wildland fires ... We have an opportunity to see more fire in two weeks than most of us see in a career."

The Salvation Army's priority is assisting emergency crews who have spent sleepless hours beating down the flames sweeping through rugged ravines.

Desiderio said the California fires pose a different challenge than other disasters to which the organization has responded. The Salvation Army can only collect money and wire it to Southern California where it will be used to replenish food supplies and provide additional cots for emergency personnel.

At this point, he said, it's pointless to collect clothing for displaced families because road closures are preventing delivery.

Dozens of Las Vegas residents meanwhile joined a charitable effort started by the Palms. Resort owner George Maloof contributed 1,000 cases of bottled water to firefighters and urged other residents to pitch in as well.

Las Vegas residents are expected to feel the effects of the fires today if the winds shift east.

Christine Robinson, director of the county's Air Quality Management Department, said reports from the National Weather Service indicate that smoke from California will drift into the Las Vegas Valley today.

The wind in Las Vegas is also expected to increase today, compounding air quality problems.

The fires didn't appear to be affecting traffic at McCarran International Airport, a spokeswoman said.

Review-Journal writer Richard Lake contributed to this report.