Around 8:00 AM this morning Grand Junction Fire Department deployed a team of four wildland firefighters and Brush Engine 6 to Laramie, Wyoming for severe wildfire conditions. The deployment is the second of its kind this year, where the team is not responding to a specific fire, but instead is making themselves available in an area with severe fire conditions and the probability of extreme fire behavior.
The last crew that responded to this type of deployment just got back from California on Monday. On the recent California deployment, the crew provided active fire patrols in a high-risk area. While on patrol the GJFD crew, along with other firefighters were able to quickly identify a fire, provide fire suppression, and keep that fire from spreading out of control. Similarly, the focus of the deployment to Laramie is to help regional authorities quickly identify and get ahead of fires with a quick response before spread.
While the crew and one apparatus could be in Wyoming for up to two weeks, with Mesa County still in stage 1 fire restrictions, GJFD keeps wildland firefighters and specialized response vehicles available in Grand Junction to be able to respond quickly to local incidents. For more information on this deployment contact the Community Outreach Office at (970)549-5800 or by email at GJFirePIO@gjcity.org.