While providing and maintaining emergency services coverage over the 8,000 square miles of Kern County, the Kern County Fire Department and our firefighters possess a heart and an obligation to serve that extends far beyond the borders of our home county.
In the past 24 hours, multiple fires have erupted across Southern California, impacting hundreds of thousands of individuals, with powerful winds and dry conditions fueling extreme fire behavior.
Unable to stand by while our neighboring cities and counties endure this onslaught, the KCFD has mobilized our firefighters to answer the call of duty and provide reinforcements in the fight. Eager to assist our friends in need, just as they do for us, we have assembled a comprehensive, immediate-need care package, which currently includes:
– 2 “Alpha” Strike Teams, comprising 10 metro fire engines and 44 firefighters.
– 1 “Charlie” Strike Team, consisting of 5 off-road capable fire engines and 17 firefighters.
– 1 Task Force consisting of 5 mixed types of fire engines and 17 firefighters.
– 2 “Lima” Strike Teams, with a total of 4 fire dozers, 4 dozer tenders, and 9 firefighters.
– 3 wildland hand crews totaling over 60 firefighters.
In addition to these critical resources, we have sent several fire engines with a multi-agency strike team and firefighters with specialized skills and experience to fill positions within the incident management teams responding to these fires.
While over 160 Kern County firefighters are assisting neighboring communities, off-duty KCFD personnel are answering the call to return to duty, staffing all 47 of our fire stations and ensuring that Kern County remains protected.
