Three brave firefighters from Provo left early Friday morning to help put out the wildfires in California.
“We’re helping a community in California. We’ve had other fire agencies come up here and help us on our fires that we recently had as well. There’s a lot that goes on. Not one agency can really do it on their own, so we can count on mutual aid,” said Captain Dean York from the Provo City fire department.
Firefighters who volunteered for deployment had to meet certain qualifications. Training and equipment are very important to get the job done, and it’s uncertain what they will be doing once they’re out there.
“When we get deployed out there like that, we’re not sure exactly what we’re going to be there for. If we know what apparatus we’re on that kind of gives us an idea, but we’re there on the frontlines with everybody else,” said Branden Vickery, one of the paramedic firefighters.
Although it’s a two week mission, with the Holidays approaching, it’s uncertain if these three firefighters will make it back in time to be reunited with their families for the Holidays.
“It’s a difficult time of the year as you head into the Holidays. Last year, we had crews deployed all the way up to, they were actually going to spend Christmas down in Southern California,” said Captain York.
Being a firefighter may not be the easiest job, but for these brave men, it’s rewarding and brings them happiness to know they are serving the community.
“It is rewarding. We don’t get into this job to be rich. We do this because we love what we do. We do the job we do the best we possibly can ,” said Vickery.
