The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCoFPD) had the honor of donating a surplus 2007 Crew Carrier to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCoFPD) in Northern California.
Contra Costa County Fire is the only fire agency that operates a hand crew in that region of California. The surplus property, once transferred to Contra Costa, will be used to assist in their efforts to expand their hand crew program and the services they can provide to the operational area in the Northern Region.
Hand crew teams can serve multiple roles in fire suppression. They create fire lines, defensible space, and conduct mop-up operations, improving efficiency and relieving firefighters and medic engines to return to service. In addition to their fire suppression roles, hand crews conduct hazardous fuel mitigation projects in fire-prone areas.
San Bernardino County is proud to have two hand crews, Old Cajon Crew 6 and Harrison Canyon Crew 7. Each professional hand crew is available to respond to emergencies year-round. The hand crews are augmented by seasonal hand crew members six months out of the year for a total of 25 members each.
“Assisting our cooperating agencies throughout the state helps protect the residents in each local jurisdiction,” said Division Chief of Wildland and Aviation Jim Topoleski. “We are grateful that our surplus Crew Carrier will assist the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in deploying hand crews in a part of California that has seen increasingly unpredictable wildland fire behavior.”
Contra Costa formally expressed its desire for an SBCoFPD surplus 2007 Crew Carrier that was placed into reserve after it exceeded its useful life. The Crew Carrier is fully depreciated and has an estimated value of approximately $9,800. The Crew Carrier can carry up to 12 hand crew members and equipment.
For information on how to prepare your loved ones and property for the threat of wildland fire, visit https://sbcfire.co/wildfire.