Bay Area emergency crews are part of the effort to respond to Tropical Storm Hilary.
Dan Coyle, deputy fire chief with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District said he is on a mission far from home.
NBC Bay Area caught up with Coyle as passenger, on the road Saturday. A team of Bay Area firefighters from several agencies left Menlo Park Saturday, responding to Tropical Storm Hilary.
“We’re out here just in case, they want help with any needs, or if we have to evacuate the public or do any rescues out here,” he said.
The task force has equipment ready including inflatable rescue boats.
On Saturday, another team of firefighters geared up in Oakland, also with orders from the Office of Emergency Management to go to Riverside County and help the first responders there.
The team that took off from Oakland is known as Task Force 4 and they told NBC Bay Area that on Sunday their crews stood by to assist twice as local first responders helped people caught in moving water.
On Sunday, yet another team of firefighters from Marin County was deployed by the state to help out with rescue efforts in Kern County.
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"We could see flash flood warnings continuing for the next several days in much of southern California," explained Bret McTigue, who leads California Swiftwater Task Force 11.
McTigue is also the Batallion Chief for Marin County Fire Department. He said his team of sixteen people will be monitoring the storm overnight to see how it develops.
"It’s a good reminder, when you have these periods of rain, look for higher ground, don’t go into an area that’s affected by that higher water," McTigue noted.
