Kern County sends firefighters across California

Issy Barrientos, Photo Editor

The Kern County Fire Department sent 70 firefighters to aid those who are currently fighting the fires in Northern California.

According to the Associated Press, about 1,000  people are still unaccounted for.

Additionally, Kern County provided aid in the form of a helicopter.

The helicopter’s night vision will provide assistance to firefighters and service people working on the ground.

Providing assistance during a fire is a recurring theme for Kern County, an area that prides itself in its giving spirit.

When fires broke out several months ago throughout Ridgecrest, a helicopter was sent as aid. Casey Snow, a battalion chief and public information officer (PIO) for the Bakersfield Fire Department, said the department sent one Type-1 OES (office of emergency services) engine.

The engine is from the state government and the department uses for fires outside of city too.

The Bakersfield Fire Department sent 13 personnel, along with one strike leader and one management leader and three type-3 engines.

The personnel settled there when the fires broke out on Nov. 9.

They know they will be stationed there for two or three weeks.

If they are required to stay there longer then they will come back to switch between personnel. A request from the state is why they sent the personnel. They determined how many they had and stacked them with engines.

Snow does not know whether the personnel is used for ground operations or just for fighting fires. According to Snow,

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A house in Malibu, Calif. burns downs as wildfires spread throughout southern and northern California in November.

the fire is currently 70 percent contained.