Cal Fire crews in Santa Clara County started preparing for wildfire season Monday and they have a brand new spectacular piece of equipment to help them do it.
“It is hoist capable, [has a] 1,000 gallon tank. This is our snorkel right there,” said Captain Mike Young of the Alma Helitack Base.
He couldn’t be more proud of the craft just added to the Cal Fire fleet to stop fires and save lives.
“We're gonna get to you quicker, we're gonna be be able to bring more water, we're gonna be able to stay longer, and based on what we’re doing tonight, we’re going to be able to stay through the time where we would’ve had to go home,” said Young.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
He, and a Cal Fire crew continued their training, lifting off from the Santa Cruz Mountains bound for wildlands near Livermore, looking through night goggles, finding the water, doing several drops.
All the while, the four-person crew knowing an electrical wire could spell disaster.
“The wires are a huge, huge, huge hazard. We’re always looking for wires, and it could be something very small, it doesn’t have to be a huge wire,” said Young.
Local
He said night training is especially difficult but critical for the success of the mission.
“It is more mentally taxing. There’s more strain on your eyes. Learning the communication among the crew at night, learning responsibility, and roles of who needs to be doing what," said Young. “I’m a fire captain. I worked on a fire engine, and now I’m assisting with the emergency procedures in a Blackhawk helicopter. It is a challenging process,” said Young.
And one he would not trade for anything.
“I really do love this job,” he said.
