As wildfires ravage Southern California, firefighting resources are stretched thin

As bridge, powerline and airport fires threaten communities across Southern California, firefighting resources are stretched to their limits.

For all three fires, the lack of available resources was cited in reports summarizing firefighters’ efforts. An update on the Line Fire bluntly stated that the lack of resources “continues to hamper control efforts.”

“Every firefighter we have is either assigned or on rest and relaxation,” said Lisa Cox, a public information officer who is part of the California Interagency Incident Management Team working on the bridge fire.

“We’re not able to draw additional resources from within our Southern California region or outside of our region,” she said, “so we’re really relying on our mutual aid agencies and those who are under unified command with us to provide resources as well.”

For example, firefighters have ordered Type 2 Initial Attack Teams and firefighters to battle the Bridge Fire, which is now the state’s largest fire. However, it is unclear if and when additional resources will arrive.

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What we know about resource issues

It is unclear what resources were delayed, at what point in the firefighting they were requested, and what firefighting measures may have been affected by a lack of personnel.

LAist contacted the public information officers assigned to each incident.

“Ultimately, there are a limited number of resources across the board,” said Adrienne Freeman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Experts, for example, have fought fires in Oregon and Idaho.

“There’s a new priority now: Southern California. So I think we’re going to start to see the priorities change. As crews leave the fires, complete their missions and get reassigned,” she said.

Long fire seasons continue to strain resources

It is not uncommon for firefighting resources to be stretched thin as the fire season progresses. At this point in the year, burnout sets in and firefighters reach the maximum number of work days allowed before they need to take vacation. This is especially true during busy seasons like the one we are currently experiencing.

“At the end of the fire season, it’s difficult to get resources where we need them and multiple incidents all require unlimited resources,” said Ed Fletcher, CalFire public information officer.

“There are multiple complex fires happening at the same time that require air and ground resources, particularly those that are occurring in steep, rugged terrain where it is difficult to access,” he added.

As the fires continue to rage, teams from increasingly remote locations, including outside the country, may be called in to respond.

Did lack of resources make these fires worse?

It cannot be assumed that additional bodies on the ground would have changed the outcome of either of these fires. Without more details about what was requested and where, it is difficult to judge.

Today’s fires are occurring in extreme weather conditions, with intense heat and high winds. When these conditions are combined with dense vegetation and steep terrain, you get the aggressive and chaotic fire behavior we’ve seen this week. And that can make containment lines nearly impossible to establish.

And that’s not to mention safety concerns. If firefighters have to protect a structure in the middle of an unpredictable fire and, for example, the defensible space hasn’t been properly prepared around a house, saving the structure may be out of the question.

We see extreme scenarios like these just about every Santa Ana wind season here in Southern California, which begins in just a few weeks.

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