Pasadena Firefighters Head to Massive Crews Fire in Santa Clara County

A team of three Pasadena firefighters and one Glendale firefighter headed to Northern California on Wednesday lend a hand, and a specially equipped rescue vehicle, to their counterparts battling the 5,400-acre Crews Fire north of Gilroy, officials said.

The firefighters make up one of the departments’ new Rapid Extraction Module Support teams, tasked with finding and rescuing downed firefighters and others during emergencies, Pasadena Fire Department officials said. It includes three firefighters and a captain, and was deployed as part of the California Fire Assistance Agreement.

The REMS team concept was launched in California several years ago, Pasadena Fire Department Interim Chief Bryan Frieders explained. Pasadena’s first REMS crew members were trained over the past year.

In revisiting recent wildfires, state fire coordinators determined such teams were needed to carry out rescues of fellow firefighters or civilians who may become injured or trapped in treacherous terrain, under menacing conditions, Frieders said.

Members of the team are drawn from existing urban search and rescue teams, as they use many similar skills related to rescuing people from complex and inaccessible situations, the chief said. They carry “a whole cache of equipment,” ranging from rock climbing gear to medical equipment.

The Pasadena and Glendale firefighters were scheduled to report for duty at the Crews Fire late Wednesday afternoon. It was not clear how long they would remain assigned to the wildfire, although Frieders said typical deployments last between three and 14 days.

The Crews Fire ignited on Sunday, forcing evacuations, destroying at least one structure, and damaging at least one more, according to Calfire. Another 30 buildings remained threatened.

Firefighters were getting the upper hand on the fire, with containment lines built around 60% of it, Calfire said in a written statement.

“Mop up and removal of hazard trees will continue where control lines have been completed,” the statement said. “Challenging terrain has the potential to create additional fire growth.”

But  Calfire officials expected a deep marine layer overnight and through the morning would create “favorable” conditions for firefighting.

More than 830 firefighters, with 100 engines and four helicopters, fought the wildfire on Wednesday, officials said.