|
Help on the
way for Pierre fire crew
By Rebecca Cruse
Capital
Journal Staff
Thursday,
August 3, 2006
Relief is on the
way for three Pierre firefighters who have been working the Eastridge Fire since
last Friday.
Fire crews in the Black Hills quickly called for backup last Thursday after the
blaze ignited near Piedmont, about 8 miles northwest of Rapid City.
"Great Plains Dispatch got a hold of us and said, 'We want your engine out there
for severity.' Well they got out there for severity and, boom, they got put to
work right away because Eastridge blew up on them and they've been on Eastridge
ever since," said Pierre Rural Fire Department chief Russ Hendrix.
Jason Evans, Ken Marks and Dustin Dowling are currently on duty in the Black
Hills.
"We spent the first day attempting to protect structures, and we did that
Saturday too," Evans said during a phone interview Wednesday evening. "Then from
Sunday through today we've basically just been mopping up stuff and looking for
smokes and stuff like that.
"The local homeowners out here are still really nervous. A lot of them are still
calling 911 at any sign of smoke, so we'll work severity through tomorrow's
operations until the next crew gets here, but it sounds like the Eastridge fire
is down now."
Marks described the huge flames with helicopters and airplanes flying overhead
on the first day he was there, but said that overall, the experience has been
positive.
"It was really hot the first few days, but the last couple haven't been too
bad," Marks said.
According to Hendrix, both the Pierre rural and city fire departments contract
with Great Plains Dispatch to act as reserves in the case of major fires in
South Dakota.
Hendrix explained that the crew was recently switched back from active to
severity or initial attack.
"Which means that should there be a fire anywhere in that area or for that
matter anywhere in South Dakota, they could be dispatched to it as an initial
attack unit," Hendrix explained. "That's part of the 14-day commitment when we
said we'd send the engine out there, they asked for 14 days and we said we could
probably do that with a rotation of crews," said Hendrix.
Evans and the other two PRFD members will return sometime tonight after the
relief crew reaches and trades positions with them.
PRFD's engine, Brush No. 1, a type 6 engine with foam, will stay in the Hills
and the crew will rotate into it.
But the assistance provided by the PRFD does not come cheap, according to
Hendrix. The engine that is there now and will remain there is being paid about
$125 an hour.
The funding comes from Great Plains Dispatch, through the state of South Dakota,
according to Hendrix, and the department can then use the reimbursment money at
its own discretion.
"We keep it in the fire department to buy equipment and stuff like that," said
Hendrix. "And that's why we send our truck out as often as we do. That's how we
were able to get the Brush 1 that's out there now and that's how we're paying
for the new brush that's being built."
The Pierre Fire Department is also being reimbursed for providing four
firefighters and Engine No. 1 for structural protection last Friday through
Monday. But the procedure is slightly different, since the PFD is administered
by the city.
In that case, the fee for the type 1 truck is paid to the city of Pierre and
then dispersed to the PFD, which can use it for departmental needs.
Hendrix said their payment goes straight to the PRFD.
"We're totally, totally separate from the Pierre Fire Department. The only thing
that we have in common is membership," Hendrix said. "In other words, the city
has nothing to do with our equipment or anything. That's all owned by the Pierre
Rural Fire Department."
The three relief firefighters, engine boss Sean Kruger, Jason Westfall and Casey
Krog, are expected to leave at 4 p.m. today and will likely be on duty for the
remainder of the 14-day commitment. It is possible that they will be released
early if their assistance is not needed.
The firefighters coming home are welcoming the relief.
"Seven days at one time is enough for me," Evans said. "I've got to go see my
girls, my kids and wife."
Story
by: Rebecca Cruse
Capital Journal, Pierre, SD
www.capitaljournal.com
For more information about the
Pierre Fire
Department, e-mail the PFD
webmaster.
|
